


Coming Home

by NotEvenCloseToStraight



Series: Broken Wings [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Tony Stark, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Bucky Barnes Remembers, CACW Angst, Captain America: Civil War Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, Everyone Is Poly Because Avengers, Everything is ok, Explicit Sexual Content, Family Bonding, Happily Ever After, Heavy Angst, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Obadiah Stane - Freeform, Omega Bucky Barnes, Omega Clint Barton, Omega Steve Rogers, Polyamory, Pre-Iron Man 1, TW Mentions of Torture, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Still Has Arc Reactor, Wingfic, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, everyone loves tony, fluff and smut and angst, tw mentions of depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-11-29
Packaged: 2019-01-22 02:37:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 66,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12471596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotEvenCloseToStraight/pseuds/NotEvenCloseToStraight
Summary: When Tony is kidnapped in Afghanistan, it takes the team three months to find their Alpha and bring him home.But Tony doesn't seem quite right anymore-- he locks himself in his lab obsessing over building these new suits, hides his damaged wings and scarred chest beneath layers of clothing, and feeling like a failed Alpha, he wont let the Omegas anywhere near him- especially Bucky.The family comes together to show their Alpha that he is not broken, just hurt, and they don't care about his wings or the arc reactor that has changed his scent, but Tony isn't listening.Drowning in his depression, unable to sleep from the nightmares, and discovering horrifying secrets about his family, his past, the man he had called Uncle Obadiah and the way the Winter Soldier ruined his life, Tony is just a shell of himself, and the family doesn't know how to help him.Tony doesn't know what to do either.How can he get better when Coming Home doesn't feel like Coming HOME anymore?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Welcome back to our story!
> 
> This will be an angsty start to Part Two of Broken Wings, so grab the tissues and buckle up. Happily Ever Afters are guaranteed with my fics though, so I promise it will happen.   
> I will be tagging each chapter with any Trigger Warnings that are needed, as well as marking any particularly difficult chapter, so please keep an eye out!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr @not-close-to-straight for Sneak Peeks of upcoming chapters and to talk about the fic!

**From the End of Broken---**

_ “Captain Rogers.” Colonel James Rhodes stood stiffly in the common area, wings so dark blue they were almost black tucked behind his shoulders, looking bruised and battered, but fierce as hell. “Thank you for meeting me, and for not involving the rest of the family.” _

_ “Colonel.” Steve greeted him, his own wings raising in welcome and reached to shake his hand. “It’s no problem. What can I do for you?” _

_ “Captain Rogers–” _

_ “Wait.” Steve came around the couch, folding his arms. “Um, where’s Tony? We haven’t heard from him since he landed in Afghanistan. How did the weapons demonstration go?” _

_ Rhodes seemed like he tensed even further, his wings shaking slightly and something awful rocked through Steve’s body. _

_ “Rhodes.” he said slowly. “Where’s Tony? Why are you here and he isn’t?” _

_ The Colonel’s next words made Steve’s knees give out, made him collapse onto the couch. _

_ “Steve. We don’t know where Tony is.” _

 

*******************

Chapter One

*******************

 

“What do you mean you don’t know where he is?” Steve growled the words, and he jumped to his feet, golden wings flaring out angrily. “Tell me what happened  _ now.” _

 

“Everything was fine.” Rhodes said wearily. “Everything was fine, the weapons demonstration went fine and the convoy was on it's way back to base and—“

 

“And  _ what _ ?!”

 

“And something exploded. Everything exploded. Damn it Steve it was like--” The Colonel was usually completely composed, completely calm, a complete contrast to the ball of energy that was Tony Stark, but now he just looked defeated. Defeated and  _ angry  _ and closer to tears than Steve had ever seen him. 

 

“Steve.” Rhodes dropped onto the couch, his head in his hands, wings drooping in exhaustion. “I don't know. I just don't. One minute everything was fine. Tony made some crack about me not riding in the Fun-Vee, because I had to stay in the Hum-Drum-Vee or something and that was it. I told him I'm see him back at base, and then everything was exploding and damn it, so many soldiers just-- just kids, man. They were just kids.” 

 

“I'm sorry.” Steve forced his wings back, his voice to lower. “Colonel I'm sorry about your men. Are you alright?”

 

“I'm fine.” The Alpha showed him the cast on his wrist. “Busted my wrist but nothing that's going to keep me from doing my job.” 

 

“You’re going to find him, right?” Steve asked, and he hated that he sounded insecure and maybe like he was pleading, but Tony was missing. His  _ Alpha  _ was missing. 

 

“Of course I am.” Rhodes said firmly. “There’s no way in hell I'm not going after him.” 

 

“James!” Their talk was interrupted when the elevator dinged, and Pepper stepped out of it, looking as beautiful as always in a grey pinstripe suit, her hair done up in some delicate design. “I'm so glad you’re here!”

 

She nearly ran across the room and Rhodes stood to pick her up in a hug, his dark blue wings wrapping up and around her, covering her tiny frame completely. They had an interesting relationship, Pepper and Rhodes did. Pepper took suppressants to mute her Omega biology, and never expressed any interest sex per se, but she always seemed to be particularly drawn to the Alpha in a way that she wasn't drawn to anyone else. 

 

Rhodes of course, was head over heels for the beautiful Omega, from her delicate feet to the pale pink wings on her back and everything in between, and took every opportunity he could to see her. 

 

He hated that this time was under such awful circumstances.

 

“It’s been too long since we’ve seen each other.” Pepper was saying as he set her back down carefully, her hands on his chest. “What brings you by? Oh, dropping off Tony, right? Rude for him to run off to get a shower and leave you down here! You should have called me and we could have had dinner waiting for you.” She glanced down at his wrist. “What happened to your wrist?”

 

The Colonel sent a look at Steve, then took Peppers hands. “Pepper--”

 

“James.” She answered, her eyes narrowing. “Why are you hurt? Where is Tony?” 

 

“Tony--” Rhodes took a deep breath. “Tony is missing. There was an attack, and we lost several soldiers and Tony-- we don't know where Tony is.” 

 

“Missing.” Pepper repeated, and Rhodes grabbed her when her knees gave out, horror flashing across her face. “Our Alpha is missing. Oh- oh god.” 

 

“Easy.” The Alpha set her on the couch carefully, kneeling to keep holding her hands. “You alright?”

 

“No, of course I'm not alright!” Pepper snatched her hands away and jumped back to her feet, pacing for a moment before stopping in front of him, hands on her hips, wings raised aggressively. “Colonel you need to tell me everything that happened right now. Do not leave anything out or so help me god I’ll drop you back in that desert myself.” 

 

“Yes ma’am. Um first should we--”

 

“ _ Speak _ , Colonel.” Pepper snapped. “I am waiting. You had one job.  _ One _ . That was to get my Alpha to Afghanistan and back safe again, and yet here you are, while he is missing. So  _ speak _ .” 

 

“Pep, that's not fair. There was no way for Rhodes to know—“ Steve started to protest, not because he wasn't tempted to be angry with Rhodes, but because he knew that the Alpha was just as shaken up as they were, if not more, by the disappearance of Tony. “There was no way he could have possibly known what was going to--” 

 

“I am not talking to you, Steven, so either sit down and  _ shut up _ or leave the room.” Peppers voice was firm but her beautiful wings were shaking. “I do not think the rest of the family needs to be here until we have all the facts, so someone had better give me the facts now, and we can figure out what the hell we are going to do.” 

 

“Right.” Steve sent Rhodes an apologetic look and sat down in the opposite chair, hands folded loosely in his lap, even though his foot tapped anxiously. 

 

“ _ Speak  _ Colonel.” Pepper demanded. “Tell me what happened to Tony.”

 

*****************

*****************

 

“Tony's missing?” Clint blurted. “How the fuck does that happen? There was a convoy right? Tanks? Soldiers with guns? Not soldiers,  _ Alphas  _ with guns. Trained Alphas who could probably rip someone in half.  How were they caught off guard? What the  _ fuck _ ?”

 

“It was an ambush, Clint.” Pepper said, sounding much calmer than she felt, now that she had had an hour to process the information. “Colonel Rhodes tells me that it was completely unexpected, that several soldiers died, and when the dust cleared, Tony was gone.”

 

“Gone?” This from Natasha, whose pure white wings were trembling with anger. “Just gone. He let someone just  _ take  _ Tony?”

 

“Tasha, it was an  _ ambush _ .” Steve repeated and Pepper squeezed his hand for support. “We are lucky that anyone got it alive at all. Soldiers and civilians lost their lives, Rhodes barely made it back stateside.” 

 

“He shouldn’t be here at all!” Sam exploded. “He  _ left  _ our Alpha in the desert! He  _ left  _ him there! You don’t leave men behind! Rhodes is here just fine and healthy but our Alpha is gone and--”

 

“That’s enough, Sam.” Steve cut in and Sam growled, but tucked his red wings behind his back and folded his arms. “Now listen, guys. Rhodes says that they didn’t find anything that showed Tony is—“ he cleared his throat. “Some blood, but nothing that says for sure that Tony is-“ he cleared his throat again, unable to even  _ say  _ the words. “We just don’t know, yet.”

 

The door from the kitchen opened, and Colonel Rhodes stepped back into the room, putting his phone back in his pocket. “I'm sorry, you guys. That was General Ross and he thinks--”

 

“Rhodes I'm going to give you all of about  _ five seconds _ to tell me everything you know, or I swear to god I will tear you a new---” Natasha advanced on the Alpha,  fists  balled at her sides, her words little more than a snarl, and Rhodes’ wings snapped out towards her in a warning.

 

“Stand  _ down _ , Romanov!” He ordered, loading his words with so much  _ Alpha  _ that the Beta backpedaled towards the couch, her wings dropping quickly, not stopping until she reached Sam, who put his arms around her comfortingly. “Now.” Rhodes straightened his jacket with a jerk, staring around the room soberly. 

 

“We have no reason to believe that Tony is dead. No reason at all. This was an ambush, which means our positions were known about ahead of time, which means that whoever attacked us knew that Tony- or at least some high level person of interest- was in the convoy. It's not a coincidence that he was snatched after a weapons demonstration. We have a list of organizations that--”

 

“Who is  _ we _ ?” Bruce interrupted. “Who all is working on this? How is it that you have been stateside for only a handful of hours and yet all these other people knew about what happened before us? Why weren't we called from Afghanistan.” 

 

“I think a better question is why haven't we been deployed to the Middle East to find him.” Steve added. “There isn't a better team than  _ us  _ to find Tony. I'm not blaming you, Colonel. I know that you are scrambling to figure this out, I know your hands are tied as far as what you can do, but why aren't we being sent over there?” 

 

“Captain Rogers.” Rhodes sighed. “ _ You _ know, as does the rest of your team, that it is considered an act of war for this team to cross international borders without being officially sent by this government, or invited by other governments.” 

 

“What’s your point?” Clint looked dangerously angry, but he was still sitting, unwilling to have the Alphas anger turned on him. An Alpha command would stop a Beta in it's tracks, but the right command could strip an Omega entirely of their free will, and he wasn't about to put himself in that position.

 

“My point--” Rhodes softened his voice intentionally, nodding when the Omega relaxed. “My point is that there is nothing  _ you  _ can do. Perhaps the Captain, and maybe Sam since they are still technically considered military personnel. However an ex assassin-” pointing to Natasha. “-a spy with a penchant for arrows-” Clint. “-and Dr Banner have no right and technically no reason to step foot outside of United States borders for anything other than a vacation.” 

 

“Natasha.” Pepper spoke up. “Weren’t you just telling me how much you enjoyed the history of the Middle East? And how badly you wanted to see Iran and fully immerse yourself in the culture there?” 

 

“Oh, I think I was.” Natashas green eyes sparked. “In fact, Tony puts so much emphasis on family time, I think we should call it a family vacation and all go.” 

 

“I am under strict orders to inform each and every one of you that if you are even seen heading in the general direction of Afghanistan, you will be apprehended and thrown in prison under suspicion of espionage and unprovoked aggression towards a friendly nation.” 

 

“In what world is Afghanistan a friendly nation?” Sam yelled. “And how is it unprovoked when you were attacked and  _ Our Alpha _ is missing?”  Natasha turned in his arms to try and hush him. “No, explain that to me!”

 

“We are  _ not  _ at war with Afghanistan!” Rhodes raised his voice. “We are  _ not  _ at war with them. This was obviously an attack carried out by a small faction that is simply hiding out in Afghanistan and the government is not going to invade an entire country looking for one man. The United States is  _ not  _ going to start a war that will kill countless innocents to find  _ one  _ man.”

 

“One man.” Bruce repeated, and everyone looked at him in alarm when green started filling in his skin. “James, this is our Alpha. This is Tony Stark. Is SHIELD and the United States really going to let the man who designs three fourths of their tech  _ rot  _ in some cave in the desert?” 

 

“Please, calm down, Banner.” the Colonel said quietly. “As of right now, it's been less than thirty six hours. We were pulled from the desert fairly quickly and  I got on the first plane here. I went first to my superiors, second to you. Things will be happening quickly, I promise.” 

 

Silence in the common room, as each team member tried to come to terms with what was happening. 

 

“I'm the one leading the search for Tony.” Rhodes continued after several minutes. “I know this is your Alpha, the head of your family, but remember Tony is my best friend. We have been inseparable for years, and I'm not about to abandon him now. I  _ will  _ be on the first plane back there, and I  _ won't  _ come back until I bring him home.” 

 

Peppers face was white, her hand trembling in Steve’s. “I know this isn't what we all want to hear. But James is right. We need to go through the proper channels to find Tony. No one wants to turn this into a war--”

 

“I'm a little tempted to turn it into a war.” Clint muttered and Rhodes sent him a sympathetic look. 

 

“-- No one wants to turn this into a war.” Pepper said again, a little louder this time. “And Tony would be furious if he knew you were all planning on running across borders and causing incidents just to find him.” 

 

Grumbling around the room, but everyone knew she was right. The right way to find Tony was through the authorities, through diplomacy, to ask permission to cross borders and to--

 

“I call bullshit.” Bucky interrupted from the doorway and they all turned to look at him. 

 

“Buck.” Steve lifted his wings cautiously. “What are you doing? Where did you get-- where did you get all of this.” 

“Tony designed gear for me for when I was ready to join the team.” Bucky grunted in reply, and checked the magazine on his handgun before shoving it into his holster. “Tell me where I can find Tony.” 

 

“Sergeant Barnes.” Rhodes began but Bucky shook his head. 

 

“Tell me where you last saw him.” He was decked out in full combat gear-- heavy boots and black pants, with a black leather combat vest cut to show off his left arm. He had twin holsters on his thighs, one on his back, and a row of throwing knives as well. He looked dangerous and  _ furious _ and everyone just...stared.

 

“Sergeant Barnes.” Rhodes tried again. “You cannot go charging over borders and wreaking havoc to try and find Tony. You  _ can't _ . I am under strict orders to--”

 

Bucky's wings shot open wide, the metal edges screeching terribly as they moved, slicing into the wall and framing him in a thick black curtain. 

 

“Tell. Me. Where.” 

 

A stare down, pale blue eyes boring into darker brown, and Rhodes caved first, scribbling down coordinates, and crossing the room to hand them to Bucky. 

 

“Please.” He said earnestly. “This  _ cannot _ be an international incident. I am only giving you this information because not only are you not officially on this team, you officially don't exist as the Winter Soldier. But you cannot, I repeat, you  _ cannot  _ just charge in guns blazing and tear down the country looking for Tony.” 

 

“Tony is my Alpha.” Bucky disagreed and his wings snapped open wider. “I'll tear down whatever the hell I want.” 

********************

********************

 

Thousands of miles away, two soldiers dragged a limp body down a dim corridor and threw him in a corner. 

 

“He hasn't moved.” a man, a Beta, said quietly. “He hasn't even opened his eyes yet. Do you think we killed him?” 

 

“Raza.” The Alpha next to him took a deep drag off his cigar. “He is a _Stark_. Trust me when I say it is difficult to kill a Stark.” 

 

“And how would you know this?” 

 

“It took several attempts to kill his parents, but I finally found an Asset to do it.” The Alpha answered calmly. “It will take more than a load of shrapnel in his chest and a concussion to kill Tony Stark. He will be fine.” 

 

“You’re sure?” 

 

“Get Yinsen.” the man said. “Tell him to help our new prisoner. We have missiles to build.” 

 

“Stane.” Raza called as the Alpha moved away. “What did the Starks do to you, that you would hate them so much?” 

 

But Obadiah Stane didn't answer, just stalked away into the gloom, a grim smile on his lips as he thought of the man that was now his prisoner. 

 

Beware the fury of a patient man, as the saying goes. And Obadiah had been waiting for years for this moment. Years and years for his revenge. 

 

He planned on enjoying every moment.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yikes guys, this is not an easy chapter.   
> I am not following MCU Timeline in this fic, but this chapter sort of roughly follows the scene in IM1 when Tony wakes up in the cave, except with my own (painful) spin on it.   
> Just be warned. 
> 
> No specific TW I suppose-- Tony is hurt and we focus alot of that, he freaks out over the whole "battery connected to his chest thing" but its tough to read so grab some tissues.

The cave was cold. 

So cold.

And everything  _ hurt. _

Why was he in a cave, and god why did everything hurt  _ so badly. _

 

Tony couldn't even open his eyes with his head pounding like this. Couldn't hardly breathe at all, and couldn't force his wings back far enough to see why his chest felt like it was on fire.

 

He ran a dry tongue around his mouth, tasting the blood. More of it was drying on his face, and he could smell it heavy in the air. Tonys hair was matted against his head, felt heavy and sticky and he knew he probably had a head wound, and definitely a concussion to go with it. 

 

His multicolored wings were shaking, wrapped around him still, but he could feel the cold air moving through the gaps in the usually beautiful feathers, and knew they had to be badly damaged. His gorgeous wings all torn up, and he couldn't fucking remember  _ why _ . 

 

Something about a missile? And a Hum-drum-vee? He needed to  _ think _ , but his brain was moving sluggishly, and he tried to concentrate, tried to force something coherent through the pain.

 

_ Rhodey _ . 

 

The thought of  _ Rhodey  _ prompted him to take a deep breath and attempt to pry his eyes open. Tony could feel his eyelashes pulling and sticking with blood and tears, and blinked hard until the fog cleared from his vision. 

 

It was definitely a cave, a big one, bigger than he expected, and dishearteningly empty. Lights were strung haphazardly around the walls, casting just enough light to see...  _ nothing.  _ There was  _ nothing  _ from wall to wall, just rock and a few wires and a ceiling that rose higher than he could see.  Wrapping his wings tighter around his body, Tony hunched his shoulders against the cold, and tried to draw a full breath, then screamed when his chest nearly ripped apart. 

 

Except it wasn’t really a scream, not when his mouth was too dry to work, and a full breath was little more than a gasp. What should have been a blood curdling scream was little more than a whimper, but fuck—fuck he hurt so badly.

 

Something was wrong. His chest felt…  _ wrong _ , like it was empty and over full at the same time, like his ribs were crushed and when he took another careful breath, he knew his lungs weren’t expanding like they were supposed to. 

 

But Tony couldn't look at his chest now, couldn't focus about that. Not when he hurt like this all over, not when his wings were so badly damaged that they refused to fold back. He tried, pulling with every muscle he could to force them to unwrap, and they absolutely wouldn't move. Hurting like this, his biology and instincts had taken over his consciousness, refusing to let him move, locking his body up to keep him from inadvertently doing himself more harm.

 

Tony was already dizzy from the pain, weak with hunger and exhaustion and his eyes started to fall close again, the pull of unconsciousness too much to resist. 

 

“Rhodey.” He whispered into the empty room. “My family. Where am I?”

  
  


***************

***************

Tony didn't know how long it was before he woke up again, but the pain in his head and chest was pushing unbearable. 

 

“Son of a bitch.” He swore out loud, dropping his head back and swearing all over again as his skull connected with solid rock. “Son of a  _ bitch _ . Okay okay okay.” He took a careful breath, waiting to feel the hitch in his lungs before letting it out and straightened slowly, feeling over the rock wall behind him until he could sit against it, pulling his wings in tighter so the feathers didn't catch or snag on a sharp edge. “Alright, where are we? Think, dammit.”

 

_ Afghanistan. The Jericho Missile. The Hum-vee versus the Hum-drum-vee.  _

 

_ “ _ Rhodey.” He muttered and wanted to scream at the thought of his best friend lying hurt somewhere in the sand.

 

_ The attack. All those young soldiers. The bomb with Stark Industries written on the side. _

 

Tony couldn’t help pulling in a quick breath, then  _ did  _ scream—or tried to— when his chest constricted and then seemed to spasm, pain ripping through every inch of his body.

 

“Oh shit.” He forced his wings apart and stared down at the mess of bandages crossing his chest, at the blood staining through the gauze and the ugly wounds the bandages didn’t quite cover. 

 

“Oh god. No no no.” He must have taken a load of shrapnel to the chest, and the wounds still bleeding sluggishly, smaller pieces of metal sticking out in several places.

 

_ The explosion. His wings flying out to protect him but it fast enough. _

 

Tony stretched one wing at a time, flinching more at the damage to his feathers than he had at the damage to his chest. Vain of him sure, but he couldn’t handle the reality of the shrapnel right now, he had to concentrate on something else.

 

His wings were— they were trashed. Literal holes were blown through the varying red and brown feathers, the beautiful gold and silver primaries were nearly shredded, several of the delicate bones obviously broken. They hung limply, even when he tried to extend them, getting no where near their full span, and Tony closed his eyes against the knowledge that they would never be beautiful again.

 

“Son of a  _ fucking _ \--” 

 

“The vulgarity is not necessary, Mr Stark.” A voice echoing in the cave had Tony scrambling to sit up, scrambling to orient himself as best he could, bringing his wings back to his body.

 

“Who’s there?” he asked, his voice still thready with pain but infinitely more confident than he felt. “Pretty rude to just talk over speakers instead of face to face,” he continued, pushing his hair back from him eyes. “especially since you apparently know who I am.” 

 

“We are very aware of who you are, Mr Stark.”

 

“Awesome.” Tony muttered. “There's more than one of them. Fantastic.” He cleared his throat, wincing at the taste of blood but forcing himself to talk. “So what do you want from me? What's your game?”

 

“There is no game, Mr Stark.” The voice sounded amused. “You are our prisoner. We will do what we want with you for as long as we have you, it as simple as that.”

 

“Why didn’t you just kill me?” Tony snapped. “Could have saved us all this little time-waster.”

 

“Ah, but what fun is a dead prisoner, especially one as valuable as you?” 

 

“You won’t get any money from my company.” Tony warned. “There’s a strict  _ no negotiating with assholes _ rule.”

 

“It is not money we want.” The words were bored, as if the idea of holding Tony for ransom wasn’t even worth considering. “The Jericho missile you were so rudely detonating in our backyard. We want those.”

 

“No.” Tony tried to stand, but his legs wouldn’t work so he settled for sitting straighter. “Absolutely not. I will never help you with that.”

 

“Oh, Mr Stark I am sure you  _ will _ help us.”

 

“I absolutely will  _ not _ !” Tony repeated, louder this time.

 

“Oh but you will.” A door he hadn't noticed on the far end of the cave creaked open, and a short, bearded man in traditional Arab garb entered, wings a rich shade of dark red. “You see, Mr Stark, I have no issue with hurting you. In fact, I can guarantee I  _ will _ hurt you. Not badly enough that you die. Just badly enough to make you scream. I do not care how long it takes, but you will build them. We can get you everything you need.”

 

“How?” Tony demanded. “How would you have the parts and plans to build a Jericho?”

 

“It would surprise you what we can acquire through our channels.” The man waved his hand vaguely. “We have the parts, you will build is a missile or we will make you regret every breath you have ever taken. You  _ will  _ scream.”

 

“I don't scream easy.” Tony retorted and the Beta smiled, his wings flicking out in interest.

 

“You were screaming plenty when we had to pull the shrapnel from your head and arms. Unfortunately we do not have a doctor to remove the finer pieces from your chest, so you will have to make do with those souvenirs.”

 

“We?” Tony echoed and the stranger nodded slowly.

 

“Yes. We. You would not think just one man could pull off kidnapping Tony Stark, do you? Impressive as I am, that  _ would _ be a feat, wouldn’t it.” 

 

“Are you the ones who blew up the convoy?” Tony growled. “Because if that's the case I’m going to  _ kill _ you.”

 

“A threat from an Alpha who cannot even stand.” The man snorted. “Forgive me for not being impressed.” 

 

Tony just glared at him, gathering his tattered wings closer to his body. 

 

“You will eat.” He announced. “And do not try to harm yourself, if you are to die it will be at our hand and no one else’s. Take care, Tony Stark. This should be an interesting experience.”

 

“Keep in mind.” The beta added as he waved another man in. “The longer it takes you to build my missiles, the less compunction I will have about showing compassion. This is just as much about the missile as it is about having a Stark at my mercy. Do not test my patience or you will regret it. I have seen your genius at work, I am confident you can do what you do with one hand or perhaps even one eye, so you should stop posturing before I take something valuable from you.”

 

“Come here and try it.” Tony snapped, and Raza laughed his way out the door.

 

The other man, slight of stature, soft grey wings and looking like he belonged teaching somewhere, not taking orders from someone like Tony's captor, moved forward quickly with a tray of food, a first aid kit, and several bottles of water, one of which he handed right to Tony.

 

“No.” Tony said instantly and the man shook his head quickly, pushing the bottle back into his hands.

 

“You  _ must _ drink, Stark. It is not tampered, they have no use for either of us if we are drugged. You will die of dehydration if you are not careful.”

 

Tony watched him for another few seconds then, then ripped the cap off the water bottle, chugging it desperately, tears filling his eyes because just  _ swallowing _ hurt his chest. 

 

“Better.” The man encouraged and handed Tony the food. “Just a few bites then we will work on your wounds.”

 

“I’m not hungry.” Tony said stubbornly.

 

“You are being an idiot.” The man snapped. “You will never make it back that family of yours if you give up, so  _ eat.” _

 

Tony startled at the mention of his family, but didn’t argue, and forced himself to eat a little before opening the first aid kit, fishing out the pair of tweezers, antiseptic wipes and a roll of gauze. He couldn’t imagine he would survive this chest wound, but he set out to try and clean himself up as much as he could anyway.

 

“Let me help.” The man said, coming closer to reach for the tweezers. “I was the one to pull most of the shrapnel from you originally, I am aware of where most of it resides.” 

 

“Thanks but I’m fine.” Tony said, gritting his teeth and touching the gauze on his chest carefully.

 

“You are being a stubborn fool, Stark.” The man argued. “You cannot do this yourself, accept help while you can.”

 

“I’m not about to accept help from that asshole Betas  _ henchman _ .” Tony jerked away from the man outstretched hand, and tried to stand.

 

“No, Stark wait!” The man yelled, but Tony didn’t listen and tried to jump to his feet, barely making it to his knees before he was back on the ground  _ howling _ , his vision literally whiting out from the unbelievable pain slashing through his body.

 

_ “ _ What did you do to me?” Tony cried, grabbing at the wires that he had finally noticed protruding from under the mess of bandages on his chest. “What the hell— What is this.  _ What is this?” _ He followed the wires to the battery on the ground next to him.

 

“Is this a battery? Is connected to my  _ chest?  _ What the fuck did you do?!” His eyes snapped to red, his torn wings trying to open in his rage. 

 

The Beta groaned, running a hand over his face. “The shrapnel was headed for your heart, Stark. For lack of a better explanation, the battery is keeping it away from your vital organs. You know what an electromagnet it, I was trying to forge a crude one to keep you alive until there was another option.” 

 

“Shrapnel.” Tony repeated. “Electromagnet. You hooked me up to a fucking  _ battery _ .” 

 

“I did what I had to.” the man whispered. 

 

Tony stared at him for a long moment before clenching his jaw and reaching for the gauze again, holding the wires steady with one hand while he ripped the bandage away with the other. 

 

“Oh fuck. Oh  _ fuck _ . What did you do? _ ”  _ Tony said dumbly. He wasn't even registering how badly it had hurt when the bandage came away, or how hard his hands were shaking. 

 

All he could was stare down at the hole in his chest, at the wires coming out of it. There were tears across his skin, visible pieces of shrapnel buried just  below the surface, the rest covered by a mass of purpling bruises. “ _ What did you do _ . There is a hole in my chest. Why did you-- how did you---” 

 

The color drained completely from Tony's face and he went limp, collapsing against the wall, his damaged wings trying to close back around him. “Jesus Christ. Why would you--” he was whimpering, teetering on passing out just from the shock. “Why would you do this to me?” 

 

“I did what was necessary to save your life.” The Beta said morosely. “You should be thanking me, Stark. I know you don't see it know, but you would have  _ died  _ if I didn’t attempt something.”

 

“You should have let me die.” Tony's words were barely audible, his lips barely moving and black washed over him as he slid back into unconsciousness . “You should have just let me die.” 


	3. Chapter 3

_ (Day Five) _

 

“What's your name?” Tony asked weakly, licking at his chapped lips and wanting to gag when they still tasted like blood. “What's your name?” 

 

“Yinsen.” The Beta brought him some water, tilting Tony's head up carefully to help him drink. “My name is Yinsen. I am from--”

 

“Gulmira.” Tony finished. “I remember.”

 

“You remember.” Yinsen sounded skeptical. “From when, exactly?” 

 

“I met you one time. New Year’s Eve 1999. Switzerland.” Tony closed his eyes. “You tried to get me to talk to someone and I was on my way up to get--” he coughed and then flinched when his chest pulled. “I was on my way upstairs with an Omega.” 

 

“You  _ do  _ remember. I am impressed.” Another sip of water and Yinsen moved away to give him some space. “You were so drunk you could barely see straight and yet you managed to give an impressive lecture on integrated circuits. I would not have imagined that you remembered my name and where I am from when you were having to be helped to your room.” 

 

Tony cracked the barest smile. “Yeah, well. I might have been pretending to be that drunk so the Omega would take pity on me and walk me up.” he opened his eyes again to look around for a second, noting belatedly that he was reclined on a makeshift cot instead of sitting against a wall. “Where are we? We aren't in the same cave as before.” 

 

“No. They moved us yesterday.” 

 

“Yesterday. I don't remember.” Tony shivered, trying to draw his wings closer around his body and groaning when they hardly moved. “Why don't I remember?”

 

“You should be glad you don't remember.” Yinsen folded his own grey wings behind his back and sat in a rickety chair next to the cot. “You have been in and out of consciousness for almost three days. You cried out when they moved you, but passed out quickly.” 

 

“Three days.” Tony repeated. “So that makes it four days since I was captured?”

 

“Five.” Yinsen corrected. “You were unconscious for most of the first two days.” He watched Tony for a few minutes, watched as the Alpha struggled to breathe evenly against the pressure in his chest. “I am surprised you lived through this, Stark. I fully expected to be burying your body by now.” 

 

“I fully expected you to be burying my body by now too. But Starks are stubborn.” Tony reached out to trace the wires that ran from the battery into his chest, and then flattened his hand over them to keep them as still as possible as he tried to sit up.

 

“Let me help you--” Yinsen started to move, but Tony shook his head. “Don't hurt yourself more than you already are.” he cautioned.

 

“I don't think I could if I tried.” Tony gasped, tears springing to his eyes as he finally made it upright, every muscle in his body burning, several of barely healed lacerations up the side of his body tearing open all over again. “Damn it.” he was shaking almost uncontrollably and Yinsen grabbed another blanket to put around his back, avoiding the wings that hung limply on the cot. “How are my wings?”

 

“You shouldn't worry about them.” Yinsen said calmly. “It is your chest that is more of an issue. Wings will heal. Your vanity will survive.”

 

“My vanity.” He tried to smile again. “I really didn’t make a good impression on you back then, did I?” He stared around the desolate little cave, at the roughshod work table with old tools, the fireplace on the far wall, the cameras wired to the corners. “I've got to get out of here, Yinsen.”

 

“Stark I don't think that’s an option. Not with your compromised physical state and—“

 

“I have to.” Tony's voice was stronger than it had been in days, even though it was still a far cry from his usual tone. “I have to get back home to my family.” 

 

Yinsen watched the Alpha for a long moment, worried about the stench of  _ panic,fear,desperate _ that rolled off slumped shoulders. But if he couldn't scent it, he never would have known how Tony was feeling. His body might be broken, but the fire in his eyes was one to be reckoned with. 

 

If Stark ever managed to get his feet back under him, if he managed to live through this, there would be hell to pay. 

***************************

***************************

_ (Day Nine) _

 

“Who is holding us?” Tony sat up easier this time, only having to wait for a minute or two to catch his breath. “Have you seen the leaders? Or just the soldiers?” 

 

“You have met Raza.” Yinsen brought him some water. “The Beta. He is the one I have the most contact with, the one who is here the most often.” 

 

“He’s the one who kidnapped you?” Tony tried to stretch his wings, biting back a whimper when they just barely opened. 

 

“I realize it’s difficult to lie still, Stark but you need to—“

 

“ _ You _ realize it's difficult?” Tony snapped, and then held up a hand to apologize. “Sorry. I'm--I'm sorry. You don't deserve to be yelled at.” He took a careful breath, pulling air in until pain spasmed through his chest before letting it out. “Tell me about Raza. He kidnapped you?” 

 

“If by  _ kidnapped _ , you mean  _ leveled my village _ .” Yinsen waved off Tony’s apology and motioned for him to drink more. “I still am not sure if it was just coincidence I was taken alive, or if it was planned.” 

 

“What do you mean?” Tony kept trying to move, to stretch and Yinsen finally stepped closer to help him.

 

“I mean that Raza is not calling the shots.” the Beta reached for Tony's elbow and helped him try and stretch, moving him in careful increments to test the range of motion. “There is another man, an Alpha. I do not know his name, but you should fear him.” 

 

“Why’s that?” Tony's breathing was already picking up, the strain of just rotating his arms putting pressure on his chest. “Why would I fear him more than Raza?” 

 

“This Alpha.” Yinsen moved to help with Tony's legs, easing him to one side of the bed and taking his weight as Tony tried to stand. “He hates you. It might have been coincidence that I was left alive, but your capture was intricately planned. He was furious when they brought you in so hurt, demanded that I do everything to save you, threatened me with torture and death if I let you die.”

 

“Have they said anything about a ransom?” 

 

“No.” He was watching Tony’s face closely for any burst of pain, but Tony managed to put his feet on the ground and put some weight on them. “No ransom. I don't even think the Jericho is his main objective.” 

 

“What would be--” Tony’s knees gave out and Yinsen caught him as gently as he could, directing him to lie back down. “What would he want with me if it's not money and it's not my tech?” 

 

“I think the Alpha just wants to watch you suffer.” Yinsen said quietly. “My directions were to save you, but you will notice I have not given you any pain medication. It is why you have spent so much time unconscious and why it will be close to a month before you are even halfway to healed. He doesn’t want you to die but he does want you to hurt.”

 

“Well, I hope he’s enjoying this.” Tony snorted. “Bastard.” 

 

“You do not scent so much of  _ panic  _ anymore.” Yinsen notes. “Before it made your scent sour, but no longer. I would think being captured by a man whose goal is to hurt you would be terrifying.”

 

“I’m alive.” Tony grunted. “He can try and hurt me but as long as I’m alive I can figure out a way to get home. No need to panic as long as there’s a chance I can get out.”

 

“You  _ are  _ stubborn.” Yinsen said admiringly and Tony smirked tiredly.

 

“My Dad used to say, ‘Stark men are made of iron’. I used to think he was being an asshole by saying it when I would get hurt and cry but he was right. It’s going to take more than this to break me.”

***************************

***************************

_ (Day Seventeen) _

 

“Do not over due it.” Yinsen cautioned, watching Tony take slow steps around their miserable cave. “Walking is excellent, but you will undo all your healing if you aren't careful.” 

 

“Who knew just walking could make everything hurt?” Tony gasped, continuing in his slow path, carrying the battery when he could, sliding it along the makeshift tables when he couldn't. “I had no idea busted ribs ruined lives.”

 

“In all fairness.” The Beta’s wings opened in a quick comforting gesture, smiling in approval when Tony's wings lifted the barest amount in return. “In all fairness, Stark, you are dealing with much more than busted ribs.”

 

“I suppose.” Out of breath, Tony sat back down and took a long drink. “How many steps was that?”

 

“You are up to eight hundred.” 

 

“My FitBit would be scandalised.” Tony chuckled, licking at his lips. “I think I might always be dehydrated after this. I'll have a water bottle connected to my hand at all times. Pepper will be thrilled that I've given up soda.” 

 

“Pepper?” Yinsen echoed. “She is your mate?” 

 

“No.” Tony shook his head, reaching up to touch his neck, bare from any mating bites. “Not my mate. Someone I love. Someone who is twice as fierce as any Alpha I've ever come across. In fact, I'd put her and whoever this other Alpha is in a ring and bet good money that Pepper would beat his ass. She is beautiful, and darling, and the only reason I survived my crazier years.” 

 

The atmosphere in the cave changed as  _ affection, love, family _ surrounded Tony for just a few seconds, and Yinsen could feel it like warmth on his skin.

 

“I would enjoy hearing about your family, if you wanted to talk about them.” He offered and Tony smiled. 

 

“Maybe some other time. I want to walk some more, and then maybe throw up from the pain, and try it all over again.” Tony struggled back to his feet. “Do you mind helping me count my steps again?” 

 

“Do not over due it, Stark, please. It will do us no favors if you relapse.” 

 

“I have to get back to my family.” Tony said stubbornly. “I have to get back to them, even if I have to walk across the goddamn desert by myself. Either count for me or turn and face the wall so I don't have to see you frown.” 

 

“Very well.” Yinsen began counting obediently, watching every shaky step, every flinch across Tony's face, the way his hands started trembling when carrying the battery became too much. 

 

“Enough.” he said after another fifteen minutes and this time Tony didn't argue. He was white faced as he sank onto his cot stiffly, his wings twitching forward to try and cover himself. “We will try again tomorrow.”

 

“Tomorrow.” Tony repeated and looked over to the wall where he was scratching lines to count the days. “Day eighteen. I'll walk for eighteen minutes. Gotta get back to my family.” 

 

“We will get you there.” Yinsen promised, but as he watched Tony nearly black out, sink so quickly into sleep that it was worrisome, he wondered how many days it would be before they both died in this miserable hole. 

 

Stark couldn't last much longer like this, and without Stark, Yinsen’s life was forfeit. 

 

It was just a matter of time. 

************************

************************

_ (Day Twenty-Four)  _

 

“I need to do something about this.” Tony patted the battery he carried. “Ingenius on your part, using it to fashion an electromagnet, but I can't really carry around a car battery, can I?” 

 

“Do you have a better idea?” Yinsen prompted, not unkindly. “With our limited resources? We are in a cave, after all, not the famous Stark Industries Lab.” 

 

“Right.” Tony was doing his walk again, his steps steady and his gait much faster than it had been just a week ago. “I'll have to think about it. I've invented things from scraps before, but nothing like this. My dad could have done it.” the last was said quietly, and Yinsen didn't comment on it. 

 

“Was your family spared in Gulmira?” Tony asked then. “When you were kidnapped?”

 

“When I leave this place--” Yinsen inclined his head towards the iron door that kept them captive. “I will be reunited with them. I am looking forward to that day.”

 

“Then I'll start thinking harder about escaping.” Tony smiled, and this time his wings lifted enough to not drag the ground for a few seconds. “I'll get us out of here.”

***********************

Tony was still doing laps when the door slammed open and a handful of soldiers with their guns raised stormed into their quiet cave.

 

“Down on your knees.” Yinsen said quickly, and helped Tony kneel, making sure the battery was close by so the wires weren’t pulling. “Hands linked behind your head, wings down so you don't seem aggressive.” 

 

“Right.” Tony obeyed as quickly as he could, and the soldiers kept the guns pointed at the until Raza walked through the door, looking as pompously proud of himself as he always did. 

 

“Ah Stark!” He exclaimed, a friendly grin on his face. “You are looking well! Apparently the Afghanistan air agrees with you!” 

 

Tony didn't answer, just kept his expression carefully blank, as did Yinsen. 

 

“So.” Raza clapped his hands together. “Now that you have recovered from your unavoidable accident, I have a deal to make with you. You will build us the Jericho missile, and we will let you go.” 

 

“You’ll let myself and Yinsen go.” Tony corrected, and a brief look of annoyance flashed over Raza’s face, his wings rustling irritably, but he smiled to cover it.

 

“Of course! Both of you! We have all the parts needed for you to build, and can get anything else you need. You will build the missile, then you will be free to go, your friend included. So tell me, do we have a deal?” 

 

Tony was quiet for a minute, then cleared his throat and lifted his wings as much as he could, looking nothing like the intimidating Alpha he could be, but trying anyway, and his words made perfectly clear what his wings could not--

 

“You’ll have to kill me. I am never making you one of those missiles.” 

 

Raza’s eyes narrowed. “You are making a mistake.” he threatened, but Tony just stared at him. “Have it your way, then.” 

 

The Beta swept out the door, followed by the soldiers, and Yinsen sighed. “You made the right decision, Stark. To put such a weapon in their hands would spell death for hundreds of thousands of innocents.”

 

“They weren’t going to let us go after anyways.” Tony chewed at his lip anxiously. “Were they?” 

 

“No, they weren’t.”

**********************

***********************

“He refused.” Raza said in amazement. “After a month, he looked me in the eye and refused.” 

 

“I told you he would be hard to break.” Stane grunted. “It shouldn't be a surprise that he would say no.” 

 

Raza eyed the Alpha cautiously. “What do you suppose we do, then?” 

 

“Hurt him.” Stane shrugged. “Hurt him until he says yes. And video tape it.”

 

“To send to Stark Industries as a threat?” 

 

“No.” Stane blew a puff of smoke, tapping his cigar idly. “Not for Stark Industries. For me. I’d like to hear him scream.” 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is not an easy chapter, lovelies, please be warned.   
> Trigger Warnings for description of torture-- First Water, then Solitary Confinement, then two more instances that aren't a description of torture, but are the description of the aftermath, of Tony hurting, Yinsen helping him etc.   
> There is no blood/graphic beatings/anything like that, but it is still difficult to read and believe that I cried writing it.
> 
> This is the worst chapter of the fic, but dont give up on it, because there is always a Happily Ever After, and after this chapter, and an emotional chapter six, things start changing.

_ (Day Thirty-Two) _

 

Tony had the presence of mind, and a precious few seconds of warning, to take a deep breath and hold it the first time they shoved his head into the icy water and held it down. 

Icy wasn't even the right word. 

Frigid. Glacial. Hypothermic. Bitter cold and shocking in it's intensity and Tony wanted to scream, but he kept his mouth sealed and his eyes shut and hoped that they weren’t setting out to kill him on this first round. 

They were careful to wrap his chest to guard it from any water, and Tony supposed that was good, but he was starting to shake and he knew he had to breath soon and he didn't know if they would--

 

\-- _ Fresh air _ . 

 

His head was lifted by his hair, and it hurt like hell but Tony forced his eyes open, tried to breathe through the shock of being in the water and then suddenly out, but before he could take a full breath, they pushed him back in. 

He didn't close his eyes in time, and it didn't seem right that such cold water could make it feel like his eyes were burning, but it did. 

He wondered if he would be blind after this, and thought maybe that would be a blessing, if he couldn't see what else they were going to do to him. But then he wouldn't ever actually see his family again and that was worse than anything else he could ever imagine. 

Tony thought it was longer this time, thought they held him under for longer than they had the first time, but he couldn't be sure, and spots were swimming before his eyes as his lungs started hurting and--

 

_ \--Fresh air _ . 

 

Just a gasp, just a quick inhale, and he was back under. 

This time Tony struggled, his hands grasping for purchase on the sides of the metal tank, fingers scraping the edges as he panicked because he hadn't been able to hold his breath and this time he might not be able to stop himself from breathing in. The water was so cold, too cold, too much for him and he couldn't even make his brain work to try and count or distract himself or remind himself that an average human could hold their breath for almost two minutes, and surely he hadn't been underwater for that long yet had he--- 

 

_ \--Silence _ . 

 

*********************

“Breathe.” 

Tony came back to himself crying, choking as he coughed to clear the water from his lungs, pushing a hand to his chest to keep it together, leaning into Yinsen’s shoulder as the Beta held him, keeping a towel over the wires to keep them dry, wrapping his own wings around Tony's shoulders to try and warm him. 

“Breathe.” he said again, and Tony sucked in a hard breath before coughing all over again. “Slow, Stark. Slow breaths, you will send yourself into shock.”

“How long?” Tony wheezed, shivering uncontrollably. “How long was I--”

“Tell me about your family.” Yinsen interrupted, and reached for a blanket to drape over him, adding more fuel to their little fire to try and warm the room. “Tell me about the ferocious Pepper.” 

“I c-can't talk--c-c-can't stop--”

“Focus.” A warm cup shoved into his hands. “Tell me about your family.” 

“P-Pepper.” Tony nodded. “She is m-my assistant, my se-secretary, my whole reason f-for making it this far. Pu-puts up with my cr-crap and c-cleans up my mess-messes.” 

“You love her?” 

“S-so much. Beautiful, d-darling Omeg-ga.” Tony took a sip of whatever was in the cup, vaguely thinking it reminded him of the tea Jarvis used to make him when he was upset. “She m-makes anypl-place home.” 

“What does she look like?” Yinsen prompted, sitting close enough that their thighs touched, spreading his wings to cover Tony's shoulders when the Alpha tried to shift closer against him. 

“Red hair. P-perfect skin.” Tony was breathing easier, but not by much. “Tiny th-thing. So protective over who she lo-loves.” 

“And she loves you.” 

Tony nodded, taking another drink. “She loves me.” 

“Hold on for her, then.” 

 

*************************

*************************

_ (Day Forty One) _

Tony didn't think silence would be a torture, but it was horrifying in it's own way. 

Raza had come to ask if he was ready to build the bomb, and when Tony had staunchly refused, soldiers had thrown him in a  ~~room~~ ~~cell~~ hole with no lights, nothing on the floor, nothing on the walls, and nothing to keep himself warm. They handed him a bottle of water, and slammed the door.

He could touch all four walls without extending his arms all the way, and he barely had room to bring his wings around him for shelter, the battery connected to his chest cradled in his lap. It was a welcome weight, kept him grounded and gave him something to focus on.

It was still, and cold and  _ silent  _ and Tony stopped counting the minutes after eight hours, stopped singing to himself at seventeen hours. The hunger was pushing unbearable at twenty eight hours, the thirst was mostly held off by tiny sips of water, but by forty hours, his lips were cracked and bleeding. 

At forty seven hours, Tony started tracing the wires to and from the battery and his chest enough times to know exactly how many inches long they were, how many centimeters, what percentage of a mile it was and how far they would stretch if he pulled them all out and tied them all together. 

At fifty two hours, Tony circled the whole in his chest, pressing lightly through the gauze to feel the circumference, running through ideas in his head for better ideas for the electromagnet. 

By sixty seven hours, Tony had ran out of things to think about and closed his eyes so he didn't have to stare into the dark. 

At seventy nine hours, Tony thought he might actually go insane. He had never considered sensory deprivation and solitary confinement to be particularly torturous, and had never thought he was claustrophobic, but he knew if he survived all of this he would never be able to be in a low ceiling-ed enclosed room ever again. 

By eight five hours, Tony was starting to scratch at his arms, feeling like bugs were crawling all over him, like the dark was hiding monsters just waiting to devour him. 

When they opened the door at ninety six  hours, Tony was sagging against the rock that served as the back wall, his chin tucked to his chest, his hands under his legs so he wouldn't scratch, rocking back and forth slowly. 

“Lets go.” A soldier dragged him up, grabbing the battery at the last minute and sneering when Tony’s legs wouldn't hold his weight. 

Tony didn't remember being dumped back in the room with Yinsen. 

All he remembered was being happy to see fire light before he passed out again. 

 

**********************

**********************

 

“Tell me about your family.” Yinsen was rubbing Tony's legs briskly, working the feeling back into them after being folded and cramped in that hole for four days. “About your scientist.” 

Tony shook his head and Yinsen clucked his tongue in disapproval. “You need to talk, Stark. I know you are happy to hear anything after being stuck in there, but you need to speak as well. You need to remind yourself that you are alive. Now tell me about your scientist.”

“Bruce.” Tony muttered, his eyes wide open, staring at the fire. “Bruce is my scientist. He is wonderful. So much strength wrapped in something soft and non threatening.” 

“He is your Hulk.” Yinsen said, switching legs. “Your green monster.”

“He is not a monster!” Tony's voice rose, and Yinsen smiled at pulling a reaction from him. “He isn't a monster.” he repeated. “He’s brilliant. Smarter than me probably. And so sweet. He keeps me right, keeps me balanced. We spend hours in the lab together, and he’s the only one I can talk tech to and he understands everything, as well as correcting whatever I've said wrong.”

“Are you often wrong?” 

“I don't think I'm ever wrong, but Bruce would beg to differ.” Finally something like a smile from the Alpha. “He designs half the tech for the team. It's all patented Stark Industries, but I swear, it's all him.” 

“You love him?” Yinsen started on his arms, and Tony flinched away from the pressure. His hands had been numb for hours on end, and now the feeling rushed back into them stabbing like needles.

“I love him.”

“Then make it through all this for him.” 

 

************************

************************

 

_ (Day Fifty Two) _

 

“Tell me about your family.” Yinsen urged as he bandaged Tony's palms, careful to avoid the new stitches where they had cut too deep, knowing they hadn't been trying to ruin his hands, only to hurt him, but worrying that the cut on Tony's left palm was going to leave him with permanent damage. 

“Natasha is my other redhead.” Tony whispered. “Beautiful and fierce. She doesn't need me as much as the others, but when she does need me, she needs everything. And I try so hard to give her everything. I'd give her the feathers off my wings if that's what it took. She always smells like pomegranate and vanilla. I order her body wash from some ridiculous organic company in oregon. Only thing she will use.” 

“Body wash?”

“They all share my shower.” Tony's eyes were unfocused, glazing over as Yinsen sewed a quick stitch on his wrist. “I used to have a small one, but then I made it bigger. All three of my omegas can share it at the same time. Buy soap for them to keep there. I love when my whole room smells like their scents.” His words were starting to slur and Yinsen shook him gently to keep him awake. 

“You have three Omegas?” 

“Yeah.” Tony shifted, winced, and Yinsen murmured an apology. “Clint is my sweetheart. Scrappy, fiesty, smart ass. I love him so much. He makes me work for every bit of sweetness he gives me, but when I need him he is dropping everything to make me happy. Makes me laugh without even trying, and he hardly ever gets on his knees for me but when he does---” His words slurred again, the pain pushing him towards unconscious. 

“Stay with me.” Yinsen whispered. “Tell me more.” 

“Sam is my--” Tony's eyes slid closed. “Sam is the only one I don't have to be Alpha with. He takes care of me. Sasses me. Teases me. Loves me.” 

“Of course he loves you, Stark. For good reason. You are a good Alpha.” 

“What kind of Alpha gets captured and leaves his family alone for this long?” Tony went limp on his cot, his hand slipping from Yinsen’s grasp. “I couldn't even take care of myself. Got kidnapped, got thrown in this cave. My family is alone. What kind of Alpha leaves his family alone?” 

“You’re a good Alpha, Stark.” Yinsen repeated. “Make it through this for them.

*********************

*********************

_ (Day Fifty Seven) _

 

“Tell me about your family.” Yinsen couldn't hold his tears back, wrapping yet another blanket around Tony and not knowing what else he could do. “Tony, can you hear me?” 

Tony couldn’t even open his eyes, every inch of his body hurting from the beating at the hands of the guards. Fifty seven days now.  _ Fifty seven days _ and they had started hurting him more and more every day he refused to build the Jericho. They had just beat on him today, thrown him onto the floor and went at him.  He was sure his nose was broken, possibly even his forearm. There was a bruise the same shape as a size eleven boot on his ribs, and even though he had curled into a ball to protect his chest, it hadn't stopped the soldiers or encouraged them to show any mercy. 

“Your family.” Yinsen coaxed again, wiping at his eyes, trying to keep Tony conscious, afraid that if he let Tony sleep, the Alpha would never wake up again. “Tell me. You told me yesterday about your Natasha, and your Clint. Tell me about someone else.”

“Steve.” Tony’s lips hardly moved. “Steve. Everyone thinks he’s an Alpha, but he’s not. He was my first Omega, an accident, a heat that took him by surprise and we ended up spending it together and every single one after that. I love him so much.” 

“And?” Yinsen patted a damp cloth onto the cut on Tony's face. “Who else?” 

“Bucky.” Barely audible. “My sweet, hurt Bucky. Thinks he’s broken, but he’s not. Not broken, just hurt. Beautiful.” 

“Tell me about him.” Yinsen coaxed, carefully washing the blood from Tony’s head. “Everything you can.”

“I love him. Gotta get home to him. Gotta get home to my fam--”

Yinsen checked for a pulse when Tony's voice gave out, when he stopped shaking. 

It was there, but just barely. 

It wouldn't take much more to break the Alpha, but Yinsen said a quiet prayer over him anyway. 

“Make it through this for the family that loves you.” he whispered. “Make it through this for them.” 

*****************

*****************

Stane watched the video feed from the cameras in the cave, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully. “How many days has it been, now?” 

“Fifty seven.” Raza said. “He is tough. Harder to break than we ever thought he would be.”

“Starks are stubborn.” Stane agreed. “His father was stubborn as well, but Tony is worse. It must be the Italian blood on his mother’s side.”

“You know an awfully lot about this family.” Raza narrowed his eyes. “Why are they so interesting to you?” 

“My reasons don't matter to you.” Stane shook his head. “But now I know how to break him. How to break Tony Stark.” 

“His family?” Raza offered. “It is all he talks about. You would think it was less a family and more an orgy the way he speaks of them. Does the world know the team the United Nations wields as a weapon is nothing more than a group of deviants. 

Stane ignored Raza’s snide tone. “We will use his family, yes, but specifically the Omega he calls Bucky.” 

“Why’s that?” Raza asked. “Is he mated to that Omega?”

“No.” Stane shook his head. “Bucky is known to the world, the part that knows about him anyway, as the Winter Soldier. He’s the one I contracted to kill Howard and Maria Stark.” He stared at the screen for a few more minutes. “And unfortunately for Tony Stark, I have video proof of his precious Omega beating the life from his father, strangling his mother with a single hand. Not the metal one either. No, the Winter Soldier used flesh and blood to kill Tony Stark’s flesh and blood.”

“This is how we will break him.” Stane took a deep breath. “Bring me a computer. It is time for our prisoner and I to have some one on one time.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I sprinkled a few hints as to what happens later in the fic! See if you pick up on them! 
> 
> (hint some are adorable, some are horrible lol)
> 
> This is still something of a hard chapter, even though not near as bad as the last one!

_ (Day Sixty One) _

_ (The Tower) _

“Steve.” Clint slid his arms around Steve’s broad shoulders, burying his face in the back of his neck, and Steve shivered, dropping his wings when Clint brought his deep brown ones around to cover him. “Have you taken a break recently?” 

“No, I haven't.” Steve rubbed at his eyes and turned away from the computer, tilting his head to nuzzle against the other Omega. “But I'm fine.” 

“You can't do any good if you’re too tired to see straight.” Clint scolded. “Please come upstairs and rest for a little bit. I'll stay with you, if you want?” 

“Thank you.” Steve turned further and kissed Clint gently, drawing his fingers down his jaw and smiling at the stubble on his chin. “But I can't stop, Clint. I’ve got to find something that will lead us to Tony.” 

“I know baby, but again-- you aren't any good to us if you are too tired to see straight. Have you heard from Bucky?” Clint pulled up a chair next to Steve and took his hand, blue eyes flicking over the computer screen. “What is all this?” 

“I haven't heard from Bucky in four days.” Steve scrubbed at his face tiredly. “Rhodes called me last night though. Apparently they are starting to catch up with Bucky, he says they are coming across villages where the children describe a soldier with knives instead of feathers.”

“That's Bucky.” 

“Right. He also says the women they come across have been crying, telling them that the Soldier came back to save them this time.”

“This time?” Clint repeated and Steve swallowed hard. 

“Apparently, several years ago, the Winter Soldier was sent to Afghanistan with Hydra and his visit was--” he cleared his throat and Clint squeezed his hand sympathetically. “His visit was not good. Rhodes has had women who remember their father being murdered by the Winter Soldier, all the sudden having their sons saved from combatants by the same Soldier. They are calling it a miracle.”

“Do you think Bucky remembers being there? Or do you think since he broke his programming he is rescuing people because it's just... _ right _ ?” 

“I don't want Bucky to remember it.” Steve said quietly. “I hope he isn't retracing his steps through some horrible, bloody mission. I don't want him to have to go through that. Don't want him to have to relive all that horror and then be desperately trying to fix his mistakes.”

“Me either.” Clint was quiet for a minute. “Well, come take a break, Steve. Sam dragged Tasha down to the gym to kick her ass so she would finally sleep. Pepper is with Bruce in DC and Wanda and Pietro are finally on their way back to Russia, so it's pretty quiet upstairs.” 

“It was good of the kids to come and be with us.” Steve murmured, ignoring Clint’s suggestion. “They certainly didn't have to.” 

“Tony’s  _ missing _ .” Clint stated. “It took everything I had to convince them not to move right in and set up camp. I also had to convince Wanda not to tell the UN to go fuck themselves and fling herself and her speedy bastard of a brother over borders and wreak havoc themselves. They aren't very happy with me. I think Pietros exact words were “dad you’re no fun.” and Wanda’s were something colorful and furious in Russian. I asked Nat to translate and she refused. Can't get no respect from those two.” 

“Hm.”  Steve rolled his neck, flinching when it pulled uncomfortably. I gotta say, I don't envy your sudden adoptive parenthood of completely dangerous, possibly slightly unhinged, super powered orphans.”

“You don't want to have a kid?” Clint sounded surprised. “Captain America doesn't want a house with a white picket fence and 2.5 kids with his loving Alpha? I find that hard to believe.” 

“Clint.” Steve finally smiled. “It wouldn't be a house with a white picket fence, it would be a compound somewhere upstate where Tony felt like any child any of us had biologically or adopted would have plenty of room to run and play. A huge dining room to fit everyone, a bigger kitchen to make sure we could cook all we wanted. A dozen bathrooms, at least, a movie theater for movie nights, a garage that I feel like would constantly expand as the kids got old enough for bikes, and then ATV’s and then their own cars. It wouldn't be a white picket fence so much as a security and privacy fence because heaven help the reporter who tries to get into the family’s house. A dance studio for Tasha, an archery range, a shooting range, a special lab for Bruce.--- should I continue?” 

“A park for the kids.” Clint added. “With some ridiculous jungle gym and swing set. A play house for the girls that's more of a regular house and a tree fort for the boys with trap doors and it's own version of JARVIS.”

“Boys and girls, huh?” Steve sounded wistful. “You think both?” 

“Well yeah.  The two or three you and Tony have together, the eight or nine I'm planning on having. One for Bucky, right? Just a little girl with bright blue eyes and a terrifying scowl? Maybe a set of twins for Nat. I'm sure Sam wants a big strapping boy to carry on that family name…”

Steve laughed. “ _ Eight or nine _ for you?” 

“I've already got two.” Clint grinned. “I'm sure Wanda and Pietro can bring me six or seven more little orphans who all speak Russian and can sign to me. Tony would be completely fine with it.” 

“He  _ would  _ be fine with it. If he would just believe how badly we want to mate with him-- fuck.  _ Fuck  _ I miss him.” Steve looked away, and Clint crooned softly, settling his wings over Steve's shoulders again and sliding onto his lap as Steve’s breath hitched. “I  _ miss him _ , Clint. What if he never comes home? What if we never get the chance to have our compound in upstate and let kids run around?”

“Tony is too stubborn to not come home.” Clint argued, pressing their foreheads together. “We will find him, and then I'll kick your ass for doubting him.” 

“Please do.” Steve wrapped his arms around Clints waist and breathed in deep, letting the scent of the familiar Omega comfort him, distract him for a few minutes. “Thank you.” 

“I want you to sleep in my room tonight.” Clint tipped Steve’s chin up. “I know you like to sleep in your bed because it scents like Bucky, and I know none of us can stand to sleep in Tony's bed without him, but I'm tired of sleeping alone. Sam and Tasha have been sharing a room for weeks now, why aren't we doing the same thing?”

“I know. And Bruce and Pepper are staying in her apartment or a hotel room when they are traveling.” 

“So?” 

“Yeah. I'd like that.” Steve nodded and Clint kissed him again, soft and sweet and slow, drawing it out until Steve’s golden wings lifted in interest, and he whined in his throat. “Definitely. I'd love some time with you.” 

“Good.” Clint kissed him again, nuzzled into his neck. “See you in a few hours okay? Promise me you’ll come to bed.”

“I promise.” he smiled when Clint growled playfully, then moved away, running a rough hand through Steve’s blond hair. “Just a few more hours.” 

************************

_ Afghanistan _

************************

“Anthony Edward Stark.”

The deep voice cut through the fog in Tony's mind, but it was the sudden spotlight on his face that brought him startling awake, and he hissed in agony as everything  _ pulled _ . “What?” he spat,  _ fucking tired _ of tasting blood in his mouth every time he came to. “What the fuck do you want?” 

“Rude.” the voice sounded amused. “Would your mother let you speak to people that way?” 

“Don't you talk about my mother.” Tony warned, and struggled to sit up, keeping a hand firmly on his chest to keep the wires still. “She was a saint, and you have no right to even mention her. You didn't know her and you can’t--”

“You don't know who I am, do you?” Now the stranger sounded surprised. “They erased me from your life, didn't they?”

“Wh-what?” Tony squinted against the bright light, lifting his hand to touch at the bruising on his face. “What do you mean? How would I know you?” 

“You look like her, you know. Like Maria. She was a beauty. I was surprised to hear you presented as Alpha, looking like you do. It  _ is _ natural, right? Daddy Stark didn't pump you full of something else to force you from Omega to Alpha?” 

“What are you talking about, something  _ else _ ? My dad never did anything to me.” Tony sat up straighter, straining to look beyond the bright light to the shadowed figure sitting against the wall. A quick glance around the cave showed Yinsen nowhere to be seen and that was unnerving. “Where’s Yinsen? What did you do to him?” 

“He doesn't matter right now.” the man answered, and Tony took as deep a breath as he could, pulling in the scent of Alpha, the stale aroma of expensive cigars, and something tinged with  _ anger  _ that made him uneasy. “You have more important things to worry about. You have taken the Winter Soldier into your home, correct? That Tower that houses that ridiculous group you call a family?” 

“Don't talk about my family!” Tony's dark eyes blazed, red bleeding in through the brown. “You don't know half of  _ anything  _ about us!” 

“That is where you are wrong.” A computer that Tony hadn't noticed clicked on, a grainy video filling the screen. “ _ You _ in fact, don't know half of anything about the ones you bring into your secure little world. You welcomed the Winter Soldier with open arms, and didn't think twice about it. But tell me, my boy. What kind of Alpha lets  _ this  _ sort of man around the ones he loves?” 

Tony opened his mouth to protest, to scream for him to  _ shut up _ , to defend Bucky down to his last breath--

\--but then something on the video caught his eye. 

“I know that road.” he whispered, and he glanced down at the date on the bottom of the screen. 

_ December 19th, 1991. _

“I  _ know  _ that road.” he said again. “What is this? No no no, what is this?” 

“You know what it is.” The voice answered. “But keep watching anyway.” 

_ ************** _

_ New York _

_ ************** _

Steve couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen, and even though he had seen the video four times now, it still shook him to his core. 

It had been an accident, finding it. He had been systematically searching through every threat on Howard or Maria Stark’s life, using JARVIS to hack through SHIELD’s databases, trying to find some connection to the Middle East, any crumb of anything that would lead him to Tony. Thanks to Natasha’s data dump when they had discovered SHIELD being all but run by a new arm of HYDRA, there was bits and pieces of  _ everything  _ out there, and once he had found what seemed like a trail, he just kept digging. 

It had taken hours, and he was way past when he was supposed to crawl into bed with Clint, but he had come across a  _ name _ , Obadiah Stane, and a reference to the Winter Soldier, and a date-  _ December 19th 1991 _ \- that shouldn't have existed outside of an obituary. 

And then he had found the video. 

“JARVIS tell me this is fabricated.” he ordered, his voice shaky. “Tell me it's...altered. They can do all sorts of stuff like that now. It's fake, right?”

“I'm sorry, Captain Rogers.” The AI sounded distressed. “This is an unaltered video. I'm afraid what you are seeing is true.” 

“No.” Steve shook his head adamantly. “There’s no way Bucky would have---” he hit pause, unable to watch it again. “Tony can’t ever find out about this. It will destroy him. I can't let him know.” 

“What if he already knows, Captain?” 

“Dammit.” Steve fisted his hands in his hair. “Dammit JARVIS, what if Tony already knows?”

****************

_ Afghanistan _

*****************

Stane waved the television away after Tony had watched the whole video, after he had cried out for his dad, and then sat there with tears rolling down his face watching his mother be strangled by the Soldier. 

He turned off the bright spotlights, throwing the cave into darkness, and lit a cigar, taking a deep, satisfying pull off it before blowing the smoke in Tony's direction. 

“Are you ready to build my bomb, Tony?” 

Silence for a long time, then Tony's voice from the dark, sounding empty and  _ flat  _ and so void of life it was nearly unsettling. 

“I'm ready to build your bomb.” 


	6. Chapter 6

_ (Day Sixty Three) _

“I'm ready to build your bomb.” Tony said dully when Raza entered their cave the next morning. “Do you have supplies?” 

“Tony.” Yinsen sent him a concerned look. “Think about what you are doing. Do not let an awful day change what you believe is right and wrong.” 

“I thought about it all night.” Tony's voice was resigned, but not hoarse, because after the initial tears, he hadn't cried at all. In fact, he hadn't done anything all night long, except stare at the wall blankly, clenching and unclenching his fists. Yinsen had watched worriedly, dozing in short fits, waking up to check on the Alpha-- but Tony hadn't moved. 

Tony hadn't said a word either. He had looked relieved when Yinsen was put back in the room unharmed, but he hadn't said anything about what had happened, or what had been on the computer. 

When Yinsen had draped a blanket over Tony's shoulders, the Alpha had simply leaned back against the wall and wrapped the blanket a little tighter around himself, and kept staring at...nothing. 

The Alpha had stared at  _ nothing  _ all night long. 

And now he was going to build these men a bomb, and Raza looked entirely gleeful, even clapping his hands. “Wonderful! Let me show you what we have. You may make a list if you need anything else.” 

“Yeah thas fine.” Tony stood quietly, held the car battery under one arm, and motioned for the Beta to lead the way. “Lets see what you have.”

“Tony, please.” Yinsen murmured. “Think about what you are doing. Whatever tragedy you saw-- or learned of--”

“It wasn't a tragedy.” Tony interrupted. “And it doesn't matter. Show me what supplies you have.”

“Right this way!” Raza bowed theatrically. “This is a good decision you are making.” 

“Yeah.” Tony swallowed hard. “Whatever.” 

********************

It was bright outside, almost painfully so, and as Tony breathed his first fresh air in two months, he was struck by just how much he was deprived of in the cave. Just the general noise-- children running, women calling after them, men talking to one another. The smells of animals, meals being prepared, the wind-- all of it were things Tony hadn't realized he had missed until he was shoved back into it. 

He didn't have time to look around though, not with Raza and an armed escort urging him away from the village and into another area filled with row upon row of weapons from Stark Industries. 

“We have the best, huh?” Raza gloated. “Everything from your warehouses! Nothing knock-off for you! Stark Industries is our favorite supplier! Keeps us well stocked in everything we need in our fight!” 

“I see.” Tony kept all the emotion from his voice even though he wanted to scream in anger at the sight of his company's weapons in the hands of terrorists. He didn't know how they were getting them, which of his company's customers were selling them, but he knew Pepper didn't know about it, and if he ever got out of this god forsaken place, he wouldn't rest until he knew who was behind it all. 

“What will you need?” Raza prodded, and Tony started pointing at various boxes,rattling off the names of several items, pointed at several smaller rockets and demanded they be taken back to the cave, and at piles of miscellaneous tools, rifling through them until he found what he needed. 

“Also these things.” Tony wrote down a few more things and handed the list to Raza. “As soon as possible. These are the important things.” 

“Of course.” Raza promised. “This is a good day, Tony Stark. You build us a missile, and we will let you go, just as promised. You can start counting down the days to your freedom, now.’ 

Tony waited until Raza had moved away before muttering, “We’re gonna count down to something, aren't we?” 

*******************

*******************

_ (Day Seventy) _

It took almost a week for Yinsen to realize it. 

“You aren't building a bomb, are you?” he kept his voice soft, nearly whispering his words, so the guards around them wouldn't overhear. Ever since Tony had agreed to work on the Jericho, they had been assigned armed guards to make sure things were progressing the way they were supposed to. 

“Nope.” Tony glanced up at the guards as well, then went right back to whatever he was doing. 

“Then what is it you are doing?” Yinsen looked down at the rough plans Tony had sketched, at what had originally looked like the brain inside the bomb, but now was looking more like a-- well he wasn't sure exactly what it looked like. “What is that?” 

“It's what's going to get us out of here.” Tony said firmly. “Don't worry about the guards realizing what is going one. They are holding guns because they think they should be intimidating me physically. They’re too stupid to realize it's my mind they should be afraid of.”

He flicked his wings back in annoyance, frowning when they fell forward again, the muscles still not strong enough to do what he wanted. “Do me a favor and strap my wings back.” 

“What--”

“I need them out of the way, and I can't control them like I need to.” Tony explained impatiently. “Just strap them back so I can concentrate.” 

Yinsen didn't want to. Strapping someone’s wings back was like stripping them of a sense, of a way to show emotion, but when Tony glared at him, he gathered the giant appendages and tied a loose knot below Tony's shoulders and then another further down by his knees to keep them from moving.

“Thank you.” 

“Can I help you?” Yinsen asked when Tony was silent for a few more minutes. “With anything? With this? Or if you want to talk about---”

“You can help me with this.” Tony pushed some material his way, and a page of the plans. “Start working on this.” 

*******************

*******************

_ (Day Eighty-One) _

“Be careful.” Tony said through gritted teeth, laying as still as he could on the cot while Yinsen bent over him. 

“I feel as if that does not need to be said.” Yinsen replied dryly, but he looked just as nervous as Tony, holding the small device in the palm of his hand. “What is this, exactly?”

“Have you ever heard of an arc reactor?” Tony asked, and Yinsen nodded slowly. “That’s an arc reactor.” 

“Your father attempted to make one years ago.” Yinsen recalled. “But it was enormous, too big to be realistic, and too expensive to be marketable.” 

“Right. I've got one powering a factory back home and it is a fantastic waste of money-- make sure you watch the sides, I'd prefer to not have my heart stop before I get this damn thing in.”

“So this--” Yinsen hefted it carefully. “Is exactly that? A miniaturized arc reactor?” 

“Yes, exactly. Well, not exactly. My version is better. Dad was brilliant but he lacked imagination.” Tony patted the battery that had kept him alive so far. “Now hurry please, but for the love of god be careful.” 

“Close your eyes.” Yinsen said quietly, and then reached to set the reactor in Tony's chest. 

*******************

*******************

Rumours leaked outside the cave and into the village of the Alpha with broken wings who built bombs and who glowed in the dark.

******************

******************

_ (Day 84) _

“Sorry to disturb you, Colonel.” The soldier in the doorway snapped a salute and Rhodes waved him off. After three months trekking through the desert, the last thing he needed was all the pomp and ceremony every time someone tried to talk to him.

“What is it?” Rhodes rubbed a hand over his face and looked up from the map on his desk, his eyes hurting from staring at it so long.

“There is someone here to see you. I asked him to wait but---”

“ _ Move _ .” the word was growled, and the soldier was unceremoniously shoved aside to make room for Bucky as he stomped through the entrance of the canopied tent that was serving as mobile headquarters. “Rhodes.” he grunted, and the Colonel jumped to his feet. 

“Sergeant Barnes.” Dark blue wings lifted in concern and Rhodey came around his desk to check the Omega over. “How are you?” 

“I'm fine.” Bucky's pale blue eyes were the only thing visible above the muzzle like mask he wore over his mouth and chin. In full combat gear, strapped with knives and gun, wings flared enough that the sharp edges glittered, his left arm gleaming, he looked fierce and  _ furious,  _ and when Rhodes leaned in discreetly to check Bucky’s scent, it stank of  _ anger, fear, exhaustion _ . 

“You’re not.” Rhodes pulled out a chair and put a firm hand on Bucky's shoulder, directing him to sit. “Super soldier or not, you haven't checked in with me for ten days which tells me you probably haven't slept more than a few hours and who knows the last time you ate. Are you hungry?” 

“I know where he is.” Bucky said instead. “I found someone who knows where Tony is.”

Rhodes froze, halfway to reaching for a bottle of water. “What? You  _ what _ ?” 

Bucky stood without saying anything, disappearing through the tent door, and reappearing less than a minute later, holding a little girl’s hand, and followed by one of the soldiers that served as an interpreter.

“Jesus, Joseph and Mary, did you kidnap a little girl?” Rhodes’ wings snapped open in anger and Bucky's lifted just as fast in a warning to  _ stand down _ .

“This is Alya.” Bucky knelt down in front of the girl, who couldn't be more than seven or eight, and brushed her hair away from her face. “Sweetheart, tell my friend what you told me.” 

Alya stayed silent, her dark eyes flicking to Rhodes uncertainly and then back to Bucky, and after a moment she tapped demandingly on his mask with one finger. 

Rhodes watched in disbelief as the soldier reached up immediately and took off his mask, setting it down on the ground. Then Alya framed Bucky's face with both her little hands and smiled into his eyes, before looking up at Rhodes and rattling something off in a local dialect that Rhodes didn't understand. 

“She says, there is a man held in her village.” the interpreter supplied helpfully. “He has been there for almost three months, he and another one.” the girl kept speaking, keeping her hands on Bucky's face, and her eyes on Rhodes. “She says that her father has to take food and supplies into the cave for the soldiers, and for the--” a frown, and he asked her to repeat it. 

“She says there is a rich Alpha. He has broken wings like coins, and a heart that glows. And he--” another frown. “He is the ones whose weapons have destroyed their home. She says--   


“Wait.” Rhodes held up his hand. “Broken wings like coins? A heart that glows? What does that mean? How do we know she is talking about Tony? She could be talking about anyone. Or anything. How do we know she is even--”

“Stop talking and listen.” Bucky ordered, and motioned for the little girl to continue, murmuring something soft when she hesitated.

“Well, she definitely said coins.” the interpreter nodded, listening closely as the girl spoke. “Silver and gold like coins. Something happened to the Alpha’s heart, he was hurt when-- when he was captured, and now he glows.” He shrugged. “I don’t know what she means by that.” 

“She says that her father has heard the Alpha speak of his family over and over. A spider and a hawk, a spice… oh, she means pepper. A Pepper and a captain and a dark omega with knives.” 

The little girl touched Bucky's black wings and smiled. “Knife.” she said, plain as day. “Knife.” 

Rhodey blinked a few times when Bucky smiled right back at her, his expression mirroring the one of surprise on the interpreter's face. 

“Um, anyway. She says they are hurting the Alpha, but he won't give them what they want. Every day they hurt him and every day he talks about his family. Her father told her about the way he is lit, now, from his heart, and that all he does is talk about the spider and the hawk, the one called Pepper, the one with knives over and over and over. She says the Alpha talks about other ones too, but those are the only ones she can remember.”

“Jesus Christ.” Rhodes muttered. “It's Tony. It's  _ Tony _ . This is amazing. -- Bucky, where is she from?” 

“Her village is just over four and a half klicks  west of us.” Bucky spoke without taking his eyes off Alya. “I’ve spent the last three days hiding with her and her family.” 

“They aren’t afraid of you?” 

“Apparently not everyone sees me as a monster.” Bucky's words were even, but Rhodes could almost physically feel the  _ pain  _ rolling off of him. 

This hadn't been an easy mission for the Omega. It seemed as if every village they had come through, Bucky had been remembered, and not in a good way. The Winter Soldier had come through this same area on some sort of bloody op years before, and more than once Rhodes had wondered if Bucky was retracing his steps through Afghanistan, if he was following a path he had taken as the Winter Soldier, and if that meant that some faction of Hydra was holding Tony. 

But he didn't dare ask, because every time he had spoken to the Omega, those wicked wings had lifted in warning, and Bucky had backed up several steps, keeping distance between himself and the Alpha. Bucky didn't trust him, didn't trust any of the other soldiers either, and kept as far away as possible, only checking in because Steve had demanded he keep in touch. 

In fact this time was the first time Bucky had ever spoken to him  _ willingly _ , and Rhodes was having a hard time reconciling the cold, ruthless soldier he had come to know with the Omega kneeling in the dirt in front of this little girl, letting her touch his face and pet his wings, and smiling encouragingly as she told her story. 

Tony had told Rhodes on their way to Afghanistan that Bucky was incredible, that under the scowl and frightening wings and weapon that was his left arm, he was gentle and kind and just hurting, just looking for a family. 

Rhodes had scoffed then, but  _ now  _ he believed it. 

Because Alya leaned in close and put a tiny kiss on the soldier’s cheek and Bucky smiled at her before bringing her in for a hug, a whispered  _ thank you _ before he kissed her hair and swept his black wings around to cover her in a gentle hold. 

“Colonel Rhodes.” Bucky stood to his feet and scooped Alya up in his arms. “I need to take her back home and make sure her family is safe. At sunrise, I am going in after my Alpha, and you and your men need to stay out of my way.” 

“I want to find him just as badly as you do.” Rhodes reminded him, keeping his voice low so he didn't alarm the girl. “Please wait for us before you do anything rash.” 

“Sunrise.” Bucky repeated. “And then I will tear that mountain down with my bare hands if I have to.” 

He tipped his head in a quick thanks to the interpreter, ducked out of the tent and was gone just that fast.

“I've heard stories that make him seem like a demon.” the interpreter said after a moment. “But that little girl looks at him like he is an angel.”

“An _avenging_ angel.” Rhodes said with a short laugh. “An Angel of Death. He will not hesitate to destroy anything that gets between him and his Alpha. Gather the men, we need to be at the village and ready to go before sunrise.”

“To help Sergeant Barnes?”

“No.” Rhodes ran a hand over his face. “To clean up the bodies.”


	7. Chapter 7

“They are going to get suspicious if you do not start building something soon.” Yinsen muttered as he stared down at the plans Tony had been working on all night. 

“They’re too stupid to notice the difference.” Tony scoffed, and pressed his hand over where the arc reactor sat in his chest. It was heavy and uncomfortable and he felt like he couldn't draw a full breath, but he had to get out of here, and the arc reactor was the only way it was possible. 

“So you want to build a suit.” Yinsen tapped the paper. “And power it through your reactor.” 

“Yep. This baby gives off enough power to let my heart run for fifty lifetimes.” Tony shuffled the plans together, giving a complete picture of the suit of armor. “Or it could power something this big for fifteen minutes. That's all I'll need.” 

“And what then, when the reactor gives out because you have worn it down powering the suit?” Yinsen challenged. “It will take only minutes for the shrapnel to flood your heart. What then?” 

“At least I won't die in this fucking cave.” Tony chugged the bottle of water and wiped his mouth, throwing it in a corner and reached for his welding torch. “Let’s go.” 

“Tell me what you need me to do.” Yinsen grabbed heavy duty gloves. “I can help with any--” he froze, they both did, when the floor seemed to shake, a dull rumble reaching their ears.

“That’s weird.” Tony said slowly. “We can't hear anything when we are in here. Not voices, not footsteps, and I've never been scared of earthquakes before, but I've never inside a mountain when one happened either so--”

“That was not an earthquake.” Yinsen disagreed. “I don't know what it was but it couldn't have been goo--”

\---An explosion rocked the cave, and they dove for cover when rocks came falling from the ceiling, tables over turning and scattering tools and dismantled bombs everywhere.  

The noise was much clearer now, the sound of automatic gunfire, of panicked shouts and terrified screams, and Tony reached for Yinsen, dragging him back as far away from the door as they could get. 

“We have to stay back!” he yelled, coughing over the dust. “If they blow the door in we could be killed just from the---”

\--there was another blast, huge slabs of rock cracking and then crashing down from above, and the heavily fortified door to their cave bent nearly in half from the force of the explosion, one hinge blown clear off, the others straining to keep it in place--

\--Then a metal hand, thick fingers curling around the edge of the door. A quick jerk and it ripped right off the remaining two hinges, thrown over a shoulder as if it weighed nothing at all--

\--And the Soldier stepped through the smoke and over the rocks, black wings held high, metal tips screeching along the rock walls as he moved, blue eyes glowing above a black mask. 

“The Angel of Death.” Yinsen gasped and dropped to his knees with his hands covered his head, stammering prayers under his breath, wings drawn in close to his body to try and shield himself. 

“No. Not the Angel of Death.” Tony stared at the Soldier, hope and  _ horror  _ tangling in his chest. “That's my Omega. That's my-- Bucky. Bucky what are you doing here?”

“Tony.” Bucky ripped his mask off and started pushing through the mess of the cave, kicking things out of the way, stepping over the rocks to get to him. “ _ Alpha _ I’ve been looking for you for so long. I can't believe --” 

“Bucky!” Tony screamed in panic when armed guards ran into the cave, weapons drawn and already firing, the sound so loud in the closed space that Tony thought his ear drums would burst, but he couldn't think about that, not when Bucky’s back was to them, making him a literal target. 

But Bucky was ready, and whirled around, dropping to his knees with his wings spread wide to shield Tony and Yinsen, ripping the guns from his holsters and emptying the clips into the guards. Tony threw himself over Yinsen, praying they wouldn't get caught by a ricocheting round, knowing Bucky  _ wouldn't  _ get hurt but unable to stop worrying about it, still in shock just from  _ seeing  _ Bucky, and trying to figure out  _ what the hell _ to say to his Omega if they actually survived this.

Bullets were still falling when both guns clicked empty and Bucky was reaching for another magazine when marines filled the doorway, shouting “Stand down! Stand down!” and quickly dispatching the rest of the guards that had been hiding behind overturned tables for cover. 

Bucky dropped the gun instantly, hands and wings up so the soldiers recognized him as on their side, and sent a quick look towards Tony, breathing a sigh of relief when the Alpha looked terrified but unharmed. 

“Tony.” Colonel Rhodes ran through the door as soon as one of his men had declared the room clear. “ _ Tony _ !” 

“Rhodey.” Tony didn't even make it to his feet to hug his friend, Rhodes skidded onto his knees in the dirt and threw his arms and wings around him, holding him close. “It's about damn time.” Tony put a hand over the reactor in his chest, but held onto Rhodes with his other arm, pressing their foreheads together and breathing in the welcome scent of his oldest friend. “I'm so glad to see you.” 

“I'm gonna kick your ass, running off like that.” Rhodes sounded like he was choking up. “You trying to turn give me a heart attack or what?” He still pulled away and grabbed Tony's chin, turning his face so he could see if he was hurt too terribly, wincing at the still fading bruises and cuts from Tony's last beating. “Alright. That was a terrible choice of words. Look, next time---” he cleared his throat. “Next time you ride with me, alright?” 

“God, no.” Tony joked, tears in his eyes. “Not the Hum-Drum-Vee.”

“Next time you ride with me.” Rhodes repeated and this time tears fell and Tony dropped his head onto Rhodey’s shoulder and let the other Alpha hold him. 

“Something bad happened, Rhodey.” Tony whispered, and Rhodes nodded. “No, I mean something  _ really  _ bad happened.” Tony's fingers tightened on his waist. “Keep Bucky away from me.” 

“Tony.” Rhodes started to pull away, started to ask  _ what the hell _ , started to explain that Bucky had been the only reason they had even found him, but Tony shook his head and held him even tighter. 

“ _ Keep him away from me _ .” 

*********************

Bucky didn't know what to think when Colonel Rhodes put his wings around Tony, all but hiding him from view as they left the cave. 

He didn't know what to think when Tony cried as he hugged Yinsen goodbye, making the Beta promise to come see him as soon as everything went through with his paperwork to bring him to the States. 

He certainly didn't know what to think when he went to follow Tony into the hospital and Rhodes stepped in front of him and shook his head. “You can't go in there, Sergeant.” Rhodes was all business, wings raised enough to block Bucky's view, arms folded, gaze stern. “No one is allowed back in surgery.”

“He hasn't even talked to me.” Bucky said desperately. “He won't hardly look at me. What’s going on? Rhodes, what happened?” 

“Tony is…” Rhodes searched for the right words. “You know, he’s been hurt pretty badly these last few months. He is about to be poked with a bunch of needles and will be heavily sedated for the ride home-- he just needs some time. He’s probably still in shock. Probably thinks he’s hallucinating and is still going to wake up in that miserable cave. Give him some time.” 

He took a chance and laid a comforting hand on Bucky's shoulder, breathing a quick sigh of relief when the volatile Omega didn't snap his arm right off. “Give him some time? You can't expect someone to come out of this and be fine automatically. You  _ know  _ that. You know how long it took you to be alright, you need to just---” he cleared his throat. “A little time, alright? Tony will bounce back.” 

“Yeah, but--”

“Listen.” Rhodes said firmly. “You know damn well that Tony is one of the best Alpha’s out there. If you, his Omega, are in the room, he is going to be fussing over  _ you _ , needing to make sure you are alright, and honestly he doesn’t need that right now. He needs to focus on trying to heal, and forty eight hours with no distractions other than doctors will go along way for him.”

“Yeah, alright.” Bucky backed away, left the hospital to try and get some sleep, but he still felt uneasy, still couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something, or that there was something the Colonel wasn't telling him.

There had been something in Tony's eyes when he had come bursting through the door of the cave, a look on his face, the way he had leaned away maybe? There had been  _ something  _ about Tony that had seemed like fear, and maybe hurt and anger?

Bucky didn't understand it, but it made him sick to his stomach. All he wanted to do was bury his face in Tony's chest and cry out all the stress of the last three months. He wanted his Alpha to put those beautiful wings around him and make it all disappear. He wanted to climb on Tony's lap and listen to the Alpha purr, to feel that rumble that seemed to vibrate through his entire body, to scent up through Tony's neck and urge his Alpha against him and--

_ Fuck.  _ Bucky clenched his fist so he wouldn't put it through a wall.  _ Fuck _ , why would Tony be angry with him? Why would Tony be afraid of him? 

What did he do to hurt his Alpha?

**********************

_ (Day 90) _

“If you think I'm leaving this plane in a wheelchair, you’ve got another thing coming.” Tony warned as the plane touched down in New York and Rhodey folded his arms stubbornly, flicking his wings out in annoyance. 

“You’re either gonna wheel yourself out or I'm gonna carry you out, and I don't mean like a firefighter, I mean like a damsel in distress, swooped up in my arms so your dress doesn't touch the floor. So which one is it gonna be? You gonna be all Professor X for me or do I need to get you a ballgown?”

“Goddamnit Rhodes, I am fine!” Tony snapped, his eyes sparking dangerously, but when Rhodey’s dark blue wings shot wide open in anger,Tony looked away, dropping his gaze. “Shit. Sorry. I'm sorry.” 

“Hey.” Rhodes took a deep breath and pulled his wings back in. “Okay, hold on. I know you don't want to come across as weak when you get home but--” 

“No it's fine.” All the fire left Tony's voice and he moved to sit obediently in the wheelchair. “You’re right. I need a wheelchair. I do. I'm not really strong enough, am I?”

Rhodey swallowed uncomfortably, not sure he liked this new side of Tony. The Alpha had been switching between quick fits of rage and uncharacteristic submission in the forty eight hours since they had found him and it was...odd. Tony had never been quick to anger, but had certainly never been quick to  _ submit _ , and it was unsettling to watch. 

Even more unsettling was the way he kept his wings tied back, and his chest covered at all times. When they had untied his wings in the hospital to stretch them and check any damage, Tony had screamed at the nurses to leave him alone. When they had cut his shirt off to stare at his chest, Tony had clapped his hands over the glowing reactor and told them they wouldn't understand the tech anyway, so do what they needed and then get the hell away from him. 

Rhodey hadn't even seen the device yet, not clearly anyway, and Tony's wings were tied back again, loose knots below his shoulders and right above his knees keeping them from opening at all. Even the colors were off, muted maybe, and while that could be a direct result of the stress or a consistently poor diet for several months, Rhodes was worried that maybe it was actually  _ permanent _ , that maybe Tony was damaged and the wings were a physical sign of  his mental state. 

And  _ damn  _ he hated how quickly Tony backed down, how much he shrunk into himself when he apologized. Rhodes  _ hated  _ it and he didn't know how to fix it, so maybe some tough love would work? So when the door of the plane unfolded and they were allowed to leave, he jostled the wheelchair to bump Tony out of it. “Get your ass up.” he said firmly. “You don't need a damn wheelchair. Walk your ass down the ramp like man. You’re stronger than this. Come on.” 

Tony should have laughed, should have snarked something back, or should have reacted in any way at all, but he  _ didn't _ . He just stood meekly and let Rhodes put an arm around his waist to help him down the ramp. 

“Tony.” Only Pepper was waiting on the runway, the rest of the team up north somewhere, due back that night, and Tony had quietly told Rhodes that he was relieved. He didn't think he could handle seeing everyone right at the moment. 

So it was only Pepper, her hands clasped tightly so they wouldn't shake, biting at her lip, tears tracking down her face.

“Tears for your long lost boss?” Tony teased quietly, and Pepper cried all the harder, even as she shook her head. 

“Oh god no. Tears because I thought I would need a new job, and the market is just terrible right now. Thank god you came home, no one else would let me give myself raises like you do.” 

“Right. Of course.” Tony smiled again and Pepper opened her arms hopefully, pale pink wings lifting in welcome. “Um, yeah, you know.” he touched his chest gingerly. “I think I'm a little too sore for that.” 

“Oh.” Pepper’s pretty mouth dropped open in surprise, but Tony just moved around her and headed for the car. Rhodes sent her an apologetic look, and leaned in to kiss her forehead in greeting. “Thank you for bringing him home.” She whispered and Rhodes motioned behind him. 

“It wasn't me, Pep. Couldn't have done it without Bucky.” He hesitated, and Pepper nodded so he bent and kissed her lips gently. “It's good to be back.”

“Welcome home, Colonel.” Pepper blushed prettily and touched his shoulder before turning her attention to Bucky. “Sweetheart, welcome home.” She opened her arms and Bucky went right to her, pushing his face into her neck and lifting her off her feet in a hug. 

“Oh honey.” she held him tighter. “Are you alright? I'm so glad you’re home, everyone is so excited to see you. We have all really missed you. They won't be home until tonight, but--”

“He hasn't talked to me.” Bucky said, putting her down and staring at the car where Tony sat, waiting to be taken home. “He hasn't talked to me, or even looked at me, and if I get too close I can smell the fear on him. Pep,  _ why  _ is Tony afraid of me?” 

“I think Tony is afraid of lots of things right now.” she whispered, and pulled him close for another hug. “But you’ll see. Once he’s home and safe and knows it's for real he will come back to us.” 

“You think?” 

“Bucky.” Pepper caught his jaw and stared into his eyes. “Tony is our Alpha. If anyone can come out of something like this, it's him. Things will be different, and probably hard for a little bit, but he’s our  _ Alpha _ . Everythings gonna be fine.” she kissed his cheek gently. “Now come on. Let’s get home.” 

“Yeah, alright.” Bucky pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a quick text to Steve.  _ Just landed, coming home, I can't wait to see you tonight. _

It didn't feel like coming home though, heading to the Tower with Tony in the backseat of the car, staring blankly out the window. His beautiful wings were still tied back, a vest zipped securely up over his damaged chest, and his eyes were a dull brown. 

It didn't feel like coming home when Pepper tried to talk to him about how excited everyone was to see him, and Tony shook his head, saying that he didn't want to see everyone yet, that he didn't think he was ready for that. 

And when Tony looked up and met Bucky's eyes and flinched away, Bucky felt it like a knife through his stomach. 

This didn't feel like coming home at all. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Stucky NSFW (just a little though), some family snuggles and Bruce and Tony break my heart.

Bucky was tired. 

No, tired wasn’t the right word. 

He was drained, he was exhausted, he had to physically force himself out of the elevator and into the common area of the Tower.

He hadn’t slept more than a couple hours a night for the last three months, pushing himself to the limit to find Tony, and then the Alpha wouldn’t even talk to him. Tony had turned away from him in the car, avoided his eyes all together, and when Bucky had tried to help him from the car, Tony had nearly tripped over his feet, but he had refused to take Bucky's hand.

Instead the Alpha had headed right for the side door entrance to his lab, and Pepper had lay an apologetic kiss on Bucky's cheek before telling him that she would be upstairs just as soon as she could, but she had to stay with Tony just then. 

Bucky had entered the Tower alone, leaning against the elevator wall as it sped towards the top, emotionally wrung out and at the end of his patience with this whole ordeal. 

He had been a little upset when Pepper had said that the family wasn't home, but when he pushed open the door to his and Steve’s room, he thought he might actually be glad for the quiet. It gave him the chance to decompress, to strip down and take a long over due shower, to sit under the hot water until he started dozing off. Then it was a simple matter to towel off and collapse into Steve’s bed, pushing his face into a pillow and breathing in Steve's scent, fresh pine and red roses, feeling himself start to relax for the first time in weeks. 

He shoved all thoughts of Afghanistan and  _ death  _ and the months of stress and  _ Tony  _ aside and tried to sleep, blankets pulled halfway to his hips, wings spread out across the comforter, tears drying on his face.  

***********************

***********************

“ _ Bucky _ .” A whisper in his ear made Bucky stir, but it was the pressure of soft lips on his own that actually woke him up, and he whined softly into the kiss. “ _ Bucky _ .” 

“Steve.” he whispered back, and brought his hands up to grip Steve’s big biceps, to keep him close. “You’re home.” 

“ _ You’re _ home.” Steve choked out, and lay another feather light kiss on Bucky's lips. “Bucky, I've missed you. I was so scared, god I was  _ so scared _ you wouldn't come back. I mean, I knew you would, but I didn't know if it would be  _ you  _ and--” 

“Hey. Hey.” Bucky pulled away, trying to make out Steve’s features in the dark room. “It's  _ me _ . I'm never gonna be the Soldier again. No matter what. You found me, you brought me home, and no matter where I go or what happens or whatever, it's always gonna be  _ me  _ that comes home, alright Stevie? Always gonna be  _ me  _ that comes back to you.”

“Thank God.” Steve sounded like maybe he was crying, and when he bumped their noses together, his cheeks were wet, so Bucky ran his hands up Steve’s back comfortingly, pulling him down until they were lying together, just the sheet and Steve’s uniform separating them. 

“I missed you Stevie.” Bucky placed a kiss on Steve’s mouth, on his jaw, trailing back to his ear and then his neck and Steve made a soft noise of encouragement, turning his head so Bucky could scent across his skin, gasping when Bucky shifted beneath him, when their bodies rubbed together. 

“Alright?” Bucky moved again, legs opening enough for Steve to settle a little further against him. 

“S’good.” Steve nodded and traced a path down Bucky's bare chest to his hipbone and then his thigh, urging them farther apart, his fingers ghosting over the erection lying hidden beneath the sheets. “Is this---can we--?”

“Yeah.” Bucky's breath caught, stuttered as Steve barely touched him, and he pulled the blond up for another kiss, parting his lips and letting it deepen until Steve was clutching at him and panting a little, hands wandering but hesitating because  _ god  _ it had been so long since they had been together like this. 

“We don't have to--” Steve started to shake his head. “I mean, you don't want to--You’ve been through a lot these last couple months, and it's been a long time since we did this and I know you don't want---”

“I do.” Bucky argued, starting to tug at the buckles and zip on Steve’s suit. “I want this, I want  _ you _ , Stevie. It's been a shitty few months and Tony--” he stopped, his fingers fumbling. “Tony isn't-- I don't know what's wrong. But he isn't him, and I feel like it's my fault, and--”

“It's not your fault.” Steve interrupted. “Don't do that. Pepper told me a little bit--just don't do that. Don't blame yourself for whatever Tony is going through. You did everything possible to find him, and look.  _ Look _ .” he grabbed Bucky's jaw, forced him to meet his eyes in the near dark. “You brought him home. He’s home and safe. You are home and safe. That's it. That's all we need to think about.” 

“‘Kay.” Bucky cleared his throat and leaned up to kiss him again. “So-- So maybe stop talking and welcome me home properly, huh?” 

“God yes.” Steve breathed. “Oh  _ hell  _ yes.” Bucky started to protest when the other Omega moved away, but Steve slid away anyway. “Just give me a sec.” he muttered and there was quiet noise, the rasp of a zipper, a swish of cloth, and then he was back on the bed, sliding under the covers, and Bucky groaned out loud when Steve lay nearly on top of him, heavy and solid and  _ naked _ . 

“I  _ missed  _ you.” Steve said again, and this time when he kissed Bucky there was a bit of desperation, a tinge of sadness, and a sharp edge of  _ want.  _ Golden feathers rustled as Steve opened his wings and then brought them around their bodies, cocooning them in warmth and their combined scents, and Bucky arched into the kiss, into the embrace, letting his black wings lift just enough to mingle with Steve’s. 

“ _ Buck _ .” low and rough from Steve, and he slotted a thick thigh between Bucky's legs, rocking up into him, shoving his own hard cock into the vee of Bucky's hips, cursing under his breath when Bucky cried out and grabbed him tighter. “Lube-- we need-- can we do this? Buck missed you so much, need you--please say yes--” 

“ _ Yes _ , Steve.” Bucky hissed, baring his neck when Steve nuzzled against him, teeth scraping over skin. “Just like we used to, huh? We can do that.” he let go only long enough to grab for the bottle of lube he knew Steve kept in the end table, pouring some into his hand and reaching low for---

“ _ Fuck _ .” Steve froze above him, every muscle tense, the Omega nearly vibrating in an effort to keep still. “Buck---”

“Alright?” Bucky asked cautiously, sliding first the tips of his fingers, and then the palm of his hand down Steve’s length. “I know we haven't done this in a long time but I should remember what you like.” He was teasing, but only a little, because this was something they hadn't done since well before the war and maybe Steve hadn't want to go  _ this  _ far--

“God, I'm not gonna last if you keep touching me like that.” Steve finally exhaled, and dropped his head to Bucky's shoulder, reached between them to slick his hand through the mess of lube on his own cock and stomach, then shifted his weight enough to wrap his hand around Bucky. “I forgot-- I mean, I didn't really forget, but _f_ _ uck  _ you feel good, Bucky.” 

“You feel good too, Stevie.” Bucky murmured, lifting his hips into each caress of Steve’s hand, letting the pleasure build with slow easy strokes until he was nearly seeing stars. 

“Enough.” he grunted and tugged at Steve’s wrist. “Want to come with you, come on.” 

“ _ God _ .” Steve groaned, and then they were kissing again lazily as he lined their bodies up and thrust down against Bucky, his cock sliding easily against heated skin and Bucky growled under his breath, a hand landing low on Steve’s ass to keep him exactly where he needed, to keep the friction just right as they moved together, slowly at first to relearn each others bodies, and then faster as it all came crashing back in a flood of memories of shared heats and sneaking into each others beds and learning exactly how to make the other scream and--

\--Kisses grew frantic as the heat built between them, until they weren't kissing at all, just panting into each others mouths, and nipping at bottom lips and sucking on each others tongues as they slipped and curled through wet heat, and the scent of their arousal grew thicker and thicker until they could barely breathe through it. 

Steve’s wings snapped open when he couldn't wait any longer, when he poured his release over Bucky's hipbone and lower stomach, rutting against him in short thrusts, and Bucky's own wings opened further in response, the motion arching his back off the bed. 

Steve darted forward and closed his teeth over the pulse in Bucky's neck, biting down hard as he stroked Bucky quickly and when Bucky came, it was shouting Steve’s name, holding onto the beautiful blonde as tight as he could, unable to even breathe as his orgasm thrummed through his body. 

They fell back onto the bed together in an uncoordinated heap, and Steve finally unlocked his jaw from Bucky's neck, licking and nuzzling over the teeth marks.  Bucky turned his nose into Steve’s cheek, purring softly as they tried to catch their breath, still moving against each other languidly, sighing as lines of  _ pleasure,sated,mine _ wound between them. 

“ _ Bucky _ .” Steve was back to whispering, his voice that gorgeous half slur it always was after coming, and Bucky purred all over again, urging the big Omega down over him, ignoring the mess cooling on his body in favor of feeling Steve against him for longer. “Welcome home, soldier.” 

Bucky started to laugh, first quietly and then louder until his shoulders were shaking and Steve was laughing with him, reveling in the moment, finally back in each others arms the way they wanted to be after decades apart, trading satisfied kisses and shared  _ I missed you _ ’s and letting the wave of  _ comfort,love,home _ wash over them. 

“We have a lot to talk about.” Steve hummed and stroked over Bucky's cheek with his fingers. “But it can wait, alright? I know Tony isn't doing very well, and I can't imagine that you are either, but it can wait. You don't have to talk about anything if you don't want to. If you want to, then I'll listen but for right now-- for right now, I'm just so glad you’re home.” 

“Thank you.” Bucky closed his eyes against the tears. He wasn't ready to talk about Tony, or Afghanistan, or anything like that, and he was  _ so grateful _ that Steve understood. “Thank you.” he said again. 

Steve trilled something comforting and kissed over the already fading bite mark gently. “Do you remember when I bit you for the first time? And how mad your parents were?” 

“Yeah.” Bucky smiled into the dark, threading his fingers through Steve’s hair. “Yeah, they thought I'd let some Alpha try and claim me at sixteen. They had no idea that it was eighty pounds of  _ you  _ who had gotten all possessive and snarly during sex and tried to bite me.” 

Steve chuckled and settled more of his weight against Bucky, shivering when a cool metal arm landed around his waist. “Yeah. I was proud as shit. Tiny little thing like me scarring the hell out of you.”

“It took  _ months  _ to disappear.” Bucky remembered. “You and your goddamn biting kink.” 

“You like it.” Steve said smugly and Bucky couldn't argue with that. 

“Yeah, Stevie, I like it.” 

It was quiet for a few minutes, then Steve-- “it feels good to be back together. Before you left for Afghanistan, I felt like we were so close, you know? I was so close to having you back the way I wanted, and I worried--” he cleared his throat. “I worried that everything that happened would have set you back, you know? That you would come home and be even more withdrawn and that would have killed me, Buck.” 

“I know.” Bucky said quietly. “I was sorta afraid of it too.” he shifted beneath Steve and rolled his hips up, smiling when Steve sucked in a breath. “I guess we’re fine though.” 

“Apparently.” Steve laughed a little, and started pulling away. “Um, Clint wanted to know if he could sleep in here with us, I told him I'd make sure you were okay first though. I'll admit I didn't plan this, so he’s probably still waiting patiently down in the living room.” 

“Tell him to come up.” Bucky said instantly, and folded his wings behind him as he sat up, careful not to let the edges get too close to Steve. “I'm gonna get clean and--” 

Steve reached for him, pulling him down for a long kiss. “I love you, Buck.” 

“I love you too, Stevie.” Bucky coughed to clear the hoarseness from his voice. “Call Clint, alright?”

************************

“Bucky?” Clint was closing the door to their bedroom as Bucky came out of the bathroom, and crossed the room in a few big steps, throwing his arms and his wings around Bucky and holding him close. 

“Bucky baby, I was starting to get worried.” Clint sounded choked up and Bucky pressed closer, surprising himself with just how much he had missed Clint, how much he had missed holding him. “Your hair is so long.” Clint was saying, running his hand over the messy strands. “Gotta get that cut. Thank god you’re home so we can take care of you.” 

“I missed you too.” Bucky said with a small smile and Clint pulled away enough to glare at him, blue eyes flashing in the soft glow from the lamp. 

“You go that long without checking in again, I'm gonna kick your giant ass, you hear me? You  _ hear  _ me?” 

“Yeah.” Bucky nodded quickly. “Yeah, I know. I know.” 

“Good.” Clint grunted. “Come on then.” he started shoving Bucky towards the bed, undressing down to his briefs as he went and when Bucky tumbled back against the pillows, Clint cupped his jaw and lay a searing kiss on his lips before tucking close into his side and pulling the blankets up over them. “We don't have to talk, alright? Bout our Alpha or anything else right now, alright? Not before you are ready.” 

“Thank you.” Bucky turned so he could put his face in Clints chest, breathing a deep sigh when the Omega lay a strong arm on his waist. “Stevie, are you coming?”

“I'm right here.” Steve finished, and scooted in on Bucky's other side, helping him arrange his wings so the edges were hidden, and budging up against Bucky's back to be as close as possible. “Are you alright like this?” 

“This is perfect.” Bucky mumbled, already dropping off to sleep, and Steve lay his arm next to Clints, reaching out so his palm rested on Clint’s side, rubbing his thumb in easy circles until they were all dozing. 

They didn't hear the door open an hour or so later, but Bucky started to sit up in confusion when another body joined them on the bed. “Shh shh shh.” Natasha soothed, patting his hip so he would roll enough for her to lay between his legs, her head on his stomach. “I'm glad you’re home, Bucky.” 

“Mmm.” Not really awake, Bucky just tangled his fingers in her hair and went right back to sleep. 

Natasha was barely asleep herself when Clint started grumbling and scooting tighter against everyone as Sam joined the pile on the bed, weaving his arm through Clint and trying not to bump Natasha so he could hook his fingers into the waistband of Bucky's pants, then the air stirred as he stretched a huge red wing and covered almost all of them. 

Steve yawned and shifted and flicked his wings out as well, and they slept in each others arms, under a curtain of feathers. 

***********************

**********************

It was two in the morning when Pepper cracked the door to peek in on everyone, a tired smile on her face at the sight of most of the family curled up around Bucky, a lamp on in the corner casting a warm glow over the bed.

Natasha opened her eyes and looked right at her before glancing around and moving over to make a little space, patting the bed quietly. 

Pepper slipped out of her stilettos and skirt, unbuttoning her blouse and grabbing an extra blanket  from the dresser before squeezing into the tiny space, pressing Natasha’s hand for a second before closing her eyes and letting the exhaustion of the day fade into darkness. 

********************

********************

“It won't take long.” Bruce said, staring at the holographic diagram of the arc reactor that was taking up most of the room. “I mean, you did all the work for us, now it's just replacing some component with better, longer lasting ones, running the appropriate tests as far as power usage goes, and trying to make it as light as possible so it doesn't sit heavy in your chest.”

“Yeah.” Tony said dully, rubbing over where the current arc reactor sat. “So a few days?” 

“A week, tops.” Bruce confirmed, and checked his notes again. “I still can't believe you managed to build one in a--” 

“Don't.” Tony shook his head. “Please, don't.” 

“Sorry.” Bruce cleared his throat. “We don't have to talk about it, you know. Ever, I mean. If you don't want. I understand having things happen to you that you never want to talk about. There’s things in my past that I--”

“I don't ever want to talk about it.” Tony pulled a blanket off the couch and over his shoulders, hiding his wings, and hunching forward so it covered his chest as well. “I need the arc reactor as soon as possible.” 

“We can start working on it right away.” Bruce assured him. “I can make some calls, get my hands on the material we need.” 

“Good.” Tony's eyes were empty and he stared at a spot across the lab. “I have a score to settle.” 

“Tony.” Bruce wrinkled his brow his concern. “Tony we need to--”

“Don't argue with me, Bruce.” A flare of anger, but it was gone as soon as it had appeared and Tony seemed to sink further into himself. 

“I'm not arguing.” Bruce moved away from the table and towards Tony, not stopping until he could crouch in front of him. “I'm just saying you need to sleep before we start talking about vengeance and settling scores.” 

“I guess.” Tony was looking right over his head, not even acknowledging how close they were and it… it  _ worried  _ Bruce. 

So he did something very unlike him, and reached to take Tony's hands, sliding their palms together before linking their fingers and bringing them to his mouth to lay a quick kiss on it.

Tony startled and shook himself out of his daze, staring down at Bruce. “What the hell are you doing?” he asked, but his voice wobbled and Bruce pulled at his hands until Tony leaned forward to touch their foreheads together. “Bruce?” he asked shakily. “What are you doing? You don't do this, why are you touching---”

“You need some sleep, Alpha.” Bruce said quietly and and watching Tony visibly flinch at the word cut Bruce right to his soul. “Sleep.” he repeated. “Would you like me to sleep with you?” 

“I'm afraid to sleep alone.” Tony admitted, and it was damn near a whimper. “I'm afraid I'll wake up back in the cave again, with a battery hooked to my chest. Or that I'll regain consciousness and still be underwater. Or maybe I'll open my eyes and I'll still be in that fucking  _ hole _ .” 

Tony was shaking now, staring unblinkingly down at their hands. “Bruce, don't make me sleep alone.” 

“I won't. I won't. Come on.” Bruce stood slowly and pulled Tony with him, keeping the blanket wrapped tight around him. “Lets just lay down on the couch, we don't even have to go upstairs, let’s just lay here.” 

“You’ll do that for me?” Tony wondered, because it was few and far between that Bruce even wanted to be touched, so cuddling had never been in the picture. 

“I'd do anything for you Alpha.” Bruce promised, and led Tony to the couch, putting him up against the back so he could sleep without worrying about falling off. Bruce then grabbed one of the blankets that Tony had stashed just for a reason like this, and covered them both, putting an arm around his Alpha and holding him close. 

“Sleep, alright? You’re going to wake up in your lab, on you couch with me right here. Your family will be upstairs waiting to hold you when you’re ready but for right now, lets just sleep.”

“I love you, Bruce.” Tony muttered, curling his fingers into the scientist’s soft shirt. “Thank you for this. I know it isn't easy for you.” 

“Anything for you, Alpha.” Bruce held him a little tighter. “I'm just glad you’re home.” 

He didn't say anything when the Alpha started crying, tears tracking down his face and soaking his shirt. 

Bruce just hummed comfortingly and wiped away as many as he could. 

Tony was home. He was hurt and needed to heal but he was  _ home _ . 

They could handle everything else in the morning. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a little bit of a rough chapter... Tony isnt coping very well, but Bruce and Rhodey are there for him.

“It needs to be lighter.” Tony shook his head at the simulation. “This is– it’s like a brick in my chest, Bruce. I can’t hardly breathe. Make it lighter.” **  
**

“No problem.” Bruce tapped a few keys, switched out the theoretical materials and they watched the computer screen as the simulation ran through some more tests. “I think that’s as light as we can get it without sacrificing integrity and power.”

“That’s fine then.” Tony rubbed over his chest and winced, and Bruce grabbed the heated blanket Pepper had brought down earlier, plugging it in and tucking it under Tony’s arms, as high up on his chest as it would. “Thanks.” Tony leaned back and closed his eyes as the blanket started heating up. “I think I’m going to be cold for the rest of my life.”

“We’ll figure it out, Tony.” Bruce sent him a quick, concerned look, then turned his attention back to the computer. “And if you’re still cold, you have a whole Tower full of people who gladly keep you warm.”

“Bruce–” Tony frowned. “I cant–”

“Why are you keeping yourself away from the team?” Bruce spread his hands uncertainly. “You know Steve has been down every day asking to see you. I think Nat is two seconds from blowing the door off the lab. Bucky is too nervous to even come down the stairs, but Clint and Sam are desperate to see you. Why are you doing this?” 

“I cant–” there was a desperate edge to Tony’s words. “I cant let them see me like this.” 

“Like what?” Bruce’s glasses clinked on the table as he took them off to rub at his eyes. “Hurt? Needing to be held? Unsure of whats happening? Reacting to a horrible situation like a normal human? There’s nothing wrong with needing time and help from loved ones to make it through tough times.” 

“Its not very Alpha of me to need other people to put me back together, is it?” Tony sounded miserable. “They don’t want to see me like this.” 

“Since when do you care about what’s considered alpha?” Bruce narrowed his gaze. “You know damn well our family wants to see you no matter what you are going through. You also know its hurting you to be away from them, just like its hurting them that you wont let them near.” 

“Yeah I guess.” was all Tony answered and fell silent again.

Bruce sighed and changed the subject, not willing to rile the Alpha up. “So you started to build a suit?” Bruce tactfully didn’t mention the cave, and Tony’s mouth twitched in a grateful half smile. “Tell me about it.”

“You’re gonna help me wreck some havoc?” Tony asked without opening his eyes. “Interesting.” 

“Tony.” Bruce took a deep breath. “I’ll help you wreak all the havoc and vengeance and destruction you want.”

“That doesn’t sound like something my mild mannered scientist would usually say.”

“Yeah well.” Bruce clicked into a design program and started filling in some dimensions for an armored suit. “I’m only a mild mannered scientist most of the time, remember? The other times I am a raging, hulking monster who has no compunction about obliterating anyone and anything that hurt my Alpha.”

Tony cracked one eye, watching the green climb Bruce’s neck at a frightening speed.

“You’re not a monster.” he said quietly. “You’re  _not_.”

“For the people that hurt you?” Bruce shrugged and kept working, looking deceptively calm despite the bright jade eyes that glowed in the light from the computer. “Monster doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

**********************

**********************

“Hows Tony?” Rhodes asked around a mouthful of eggs, and Pepper and Natasha exchanged uncomfortable looks.

“I haven’t seen him yet.” Tasha said with a quick shake of her head. “And he has been home for almost four days now. He hasn’t even left the lab.”

“Bruce is down there with him.” Pepper interjected from her seat on Natasha’s lap. “He hasn’t left him alone once, and I caught them asleep on the couch this morning so at least he is sleeping.”

“Is he eating though?” The Colonel glanced around the room. “And for that matter, is anyone  _else_ eating? Where is the rest of the team?”

“The boys are out for a run.” Natasha supplied, patting at Peppers hip so she could stand and go get more water. Rhodes shoved his chair out from the table and held his hand out for Pepper, who smiled and sat herself primly on the Alpha’s thigh, flicking her pale pink wings out to settle against his dark blue feathers.

“Irritating.” Natasha muttered. “I’m gone for three seconds and you are stealing Pepper from me?”

“Sorry.” Rhodes looked anything but repentant, and Pepper flushed prettily before turning the conversation back to more important matters.

“Sam took everyone out for a run this morning to try and keep their minds off of Tony, and to bring Bucky back into his usual routine. Bruce has been at Tony’s side ever since he got home, and I think all things considered, Tony is doing alright. Im sure he’s a wreck mentally, but our Alpha is stronger than anyone gives him credit for.” 

“Has Tony talked to Bucky yet?”

“Tony hasn’t talked to  _any_ of us yet.” Natasha looked annoyed, and when Rhodes cleared his throat, she sent him a guilty look. “Sorry. I know he is struggling. I know he needs space, but I don’t understand why he won’t let us be there for him. All he ever does is talk about how the family needs each other, needs to be there for each other and now when he needs us–” her voice cracked and she looked away. “It’s been four days.  _Four_. How long will it be before he’s ready to see us?” 

“I can’t imagine how hard it is to have your Alpha keeping himself away from you.” Rhodes sighed. “I wish I could have been here sooner to help. Red tape though, debriefings and explaining all the bodies and the time in desert, why it took us three months to find him— all of it. I couldn’t get away any sooner.” 

“Thank you for bringing him home, Colonel.” Natasha reached across the table and touched his hand. “Honestly. I’m sorry I snapped at you, but this hasn’t been easy at all.” 

“I cant imagine it is.” he repeated. “Tell me, hows Bucky doing with all of this?” 

“I think—“ Pepper and Nat looked at each other again, and Natasha shrugged. “I feel like he’s fine. And I do mean honestly  _fine_. Sam has been with him almost constantly, and he has made it clear he doesn’t want to talk about anything that happened. He’s concerned about Tony but I think he- and all of us- is so relieved to be home, that as long as Tony is physically safe, he isn’t letting himself stress about Tony’s mental health. Not yet anyway.” 

“Right.” Pepper added. “I am sure he is the most worried about Tony, after how our Alpha reacted to seeing him, but he knows we cant do anything until Tony is willing to see us. We have all been sleeping in the room with him and—“

“Wait, all of you?” Rhodey interrupted. “In one bed?”

“Bucky and Steve started sharing a bed when Bucky moved in, and after Bucky’s heat, Clint started sleeping in there more often than not as well, so Tony just upgraded their bed. It’s some ridiculous sized king bed. We fit, but just barely.” Natasha covered her mouth to hide her smile. “Last night Sam fell off and was all pissed off about it, so tonight he gets to sleep closer to the middle.”

“Oh my god.” Rhodes laughed. “I think I would pay money to see that.” he drained the last of his juice and leaned into brush his and Peppers noses together, smiling when the beautiful Omega purred softly against him. “I need to go see Tony, but can I come and find you later?”

“Of course.” Pepper smiled and let him up, stepping back until Natasha reached out for her, tucking her firmly back on her own lap and squeezing at her waist.

“Pepper, are you sweet on the Colonel?” Natasha asked, entirely amused, green eyes sparkling.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Pepper sniffed daintily and spread her wings wide to settle against Natasha’s beautiful snow white ones. “I’m that nice to everyone.”

“Of course you are.” Natasha kissed her cheek. “What was I thinking?”

*************************

*************************

“Tony.” Rhodes stepped through the door to the lab, his gaze instantly drawn to what looked like the top half of a suit of armor lying on a table. “Um, what are you guys–?”

“Colonel.” Banner stepped in front of him, effectively blocking his view while Tony threw a sheet over whatever it was. “Good to see you.”

“Bruce.” Rhodey’s dark blue wings lifted in a greeting, settling back to his shoulders and dropping just a little bit as he approached Tony. “Tones.” he said softly. “How are you?”

“Heya Honeybear.” Tony smiled tiredly, and Rhodes felt a rush of happiness when Tony used his old nickname but it was quickly dampened when he caught sight of the bags beneath Tony’s eyes, the way his clothes hung on his thin frame, and there was a slight tremor in his left hand that Rhodes hadn’t noticed on the plane from Afghanistan.

“You aren’t eating.” he said flatly. “Or sleeping very much. Why is your hand shaking?”

“I think it’s a little nerve damage.” Tony made a fist and the trembling got worse. “Uh, they tried to– one time in Afghanistan they–”

“Don’t. I’m sorry I asked.” Rhodes crossed the few steps between them like he was going to hug the other Alpha, but Tony’s eyes flashed the barest hint of red in warning, so Rhodes stopped short, and just reached to put his hand on Tony’s forehead instead.

“Well, you aren’t sick at least. Is he sick?” this was directed at Bruce, who shook his head quickly.

“I’m making sure he eats a little bit and he is sleeping every night. Just stressed out.”

“Thank you so much for talking about me like I’m not here.” Tony narrowed his eyes at them both. “What do you need, Rhodey? I’m busy.”

“Doing  _what_?” Rhodey raised his eyebrows. “You are probably still supposed to be in bed. Or at the very least laid up on a couch with your Omegas taking care of you. What are you working on down here that is–”

“Uh-uh.” Bruce interrupted, shaking his head. “Don’t ask, Colonel. Plausible deniability. You cant get in trouble later if you don’t know what is going on ahead of time.” 

“Plausible deniability– what, are you building a weapon? Planning an attack on something?” Rhodey laughed, but it quickly turned awkward when Bruce and Tony exchanged careful glances. “Jesus Christ, you’re building a weapon. Tony. Tony, you  _can’t_ build a weapon and go get revenge.”

“Don’t, Colonel.” Bruce warned, but Rhodes charged on, ignoring the warning and the growing _anger,resentment,pain_  filling Tony’s scent.

“No listen, you  _can’t_. Not only is it illegal to cross borders with the intent of starting a fight, but it’s not right! What the hell are you thinking? What could  _possibly_ be going through your mind that you would think to–”

“Look at what they did to me!” Tony yelled, and he dropped the ever present blanket, ripping the buttons off his shirt as he tore it open. “Look at what they did to me and tell me I don’t deserve some sort of revenge!”

 _Shit_.

Rhodes backed up a few steps, staring at the glowing reactor sitting in Tony’s chest, at the still raised scars that branched out from the center, the long slashes over his ribs where shrapnel had ripped through his skin before embedding into his body.

Tony yanked at his shirt with a shaky hand, pulling it down his arms so Rhodes could see the scars from the cigarette burns, the marks where they had cut him just for the hell of it, still fading bruising from a last brutal beating right before he was rescued.

“Do you know why I have this?” Tony tapped at the arc reactor. “Because there is still shrapnel in me. They pulled most of it out, but not these pieces. I woke up in a cave with a battery strapped to my fucking chest, plugged into my body to keep the pieces from shredding my heart and my lungs.”

“Damn it, Tones.” Rhodes’ voice cracked.  _“Damn it_ , I didn’t know it was that bad. I didn’t think—”

“What do you think they did to me for three months?” Tony said bitterly, putting a hand over the arc reactor to keep it from shifting at all as he bent over to retrieve the blanket, and Bruce met him halfway, wrapping the blanket snugly over his wings and arms. “I don’t even know if my wings will ever heal all the way. So many bones snapped and probably didn’t knit back together right, I might never be able to extend them all the way again.”

“Tony, I didn’t—”

“You want to know what we are building?” Tony’s voice rose, red bleeding into his eyes as his anger overtook him. “We are building another arc reactor, because I had to build this one in a goddamn cave using pieces of  _my own bombs_! Stark weaponry, in the hands of terrorists, and I had to take them apart to build something to save my own fucking  _life_! And it hurts! It’s heavy and it  _hurts_ and sometimes I can’t hardly breathe but you know what? I’m going to have to have it or something like it for the rest of my goddamn life!”

“So don’t  _you_ –!” Tony’s wings snapped open, tearing through the string that held them closed, lifting above his shoulders aggressively, even if it wasn’t as high as they used to go. “Don’t you fucking tell me it’s not right for me to want revenge. Don’t you walk in here and tell me it’s not legal. Don’t you stand there and ask me what’s going through my mind!”

Tony was shouting now, tears streaming down his face. “It took you  _three fucking months_  to find me, Rhodes! Three months! I almost died at least half a dozen times at the hands of those men and you’re going to tell me I don’t have the right to want revenge? How dare you?! Stop being a colonel for five fucking minutes and just be my friend!” 

Then his voice broke, his knees gave out, and Rhodey was across the room and holding him before he hit the floor.

“Tony.” he murmured, and Tony curled his fingers in Rhodes shirt and sobbed–” _Why did it take you so long to find me_?  _Why did you leave me there for so long? They hurt me so bad, Rhodey.”_

“I’m so sorry.” Rhodes repeated over and over, running his hand over Tony’s hair, down over his wings and back up again. “Tony, I’m so sorry. I  _tried_. I tried so hard, I did, I promise. I’m so sorry. So so sorry.” He kept talking, kept apologizing, putting his face in Tony’s hair and rocking them back and forth as the genius broke down in his arms. 

“It’s not your fault.” Tony hiccuped after he had mostly stopped shaking, after his tears had slowed. “It’s not your fault, Rhodey. I just–  _god_ I just need to scream at something. Im sorry it was you.” 

“You can scream at me.” Rhodes assured him. “You can scream at me, Tony. It’s not fair, you’re right. You have every right to want to wipe them off the map. I’m sorry I tried to tell you different. I tried not to think about how bad it was for you, it made me sick to my stomach to think about what you had gone through, and I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there sooner. I  _tried_ , Tony, I did.”

“I know you did.” Tony tried to inch closer and Rhodes let him, feeling the last of the shaking subside as Tony calmed back down. “I know you did, Rhodey. I knew you would come looking for me. I knew you wouldn’t leave me out there.”

“I never would have stopped looking.” Rhodes said in a fierce whisper, closing his wings that much tighter around Tony to keep him warm. “Not ever. I swear.” 

“I know.” Tony nodded against him. “I know.” 

They were silent for a long time together, and Bruce gave them their space, turning the computer screens so Rhodey wouldn’t see as he ran diagnostic tests on the new arc reactor, sending it through several simulations until he was satisfied.

“Tony.” he said quietly, clearing his throat to get the Alpha’s attention, feeling bad for interrupting them, but wanting to get this done as soon as possible. “Tony we are ready.”

“Oh.” Tony pulled away from Rhodey and took a deep breath, trilling softly as he wiped a stray tear from the Colonels face. “Okay. Um, will you get Pepper? I need her for this.”

“Why Pepper?” Rhodes asked, helping Tony to his feet, frowning when Tony pressed hard over the heavy reactor, struggling to draw a full breath.

“She has small hands.” Tony explained. “And I don’t trust anyone else to be calm enough to do it.”

“Alright, I’ll be right back.” One more concerned glance at Tony. “Are we alright?” 

“Honeybear, we are always alright.” Tony assured him, and this time he smiled for real, so with an apologetic look at Bruce, the Colonel left the lab in search of the pretty redhead.

“Put the suit away.” Tony ordered as soon as Rhodes had left the lab. “I don’t want him knowing anything about it right now.”

“Of course, Tony.” Bruce hustled to do exactly that, and Tony walked himself wearily to the reclined medical chair in the center of the lab, lifting himself onto it and leaning back with a shaky sigh. “Are you alright?” Bruce felt his head to see if he was running a fever, then pulled the blanket up to Tony’s chest. “You ready to do this?” 

“I don’t think you can ever be ready for this sort of thing.” Tony eyed the metal cabinet where Bruce had stored the suit. “But I have to be, right? If I want everything else to work.”

“You could just let me go green on them.” Bruce offered. “And you could stay home and warm and safe.”

“Bruce.” Tony chuckled, even though his eyes were still sad. “My murderous scientist. Who knew.”

“Tony?” The lab door swished open and Pepper ran to him, sliding her hands over his shoulders and unbound wings carefully. “What do you need? What can I do?” 

“You aren’t going to like it.” Tony warned and Peppers green eyes flashed in determination.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to help you.”

*****************

“When the rest of the family gets home, I’m ready to see them.” Tony said quietly as Bruce helped him into a new shirt, buttoning it over the new reactor sitting snugly in his chest. “It’s been too long, I should have gone right to them the second I got home. You were right, keeping myself locked up here isn’t doing any of us any good.” 

“They understand you needed some time, Tony.” Bruce started cleaning up their work station. “But they will be happy to see you all the same.”

“Yeah.” Tony chewed at the inside of his cheek. “Yeah. I need to– Need to hold them, you know?”

“Have you even spoken to Bucky since you got home?” Bruce asked, and he wasn’t looking up so he missed the look of sheer panic that crossed his Alpha’s face.

“No.” Tony worked to keep his voice even. “No, but I– I need to. Need to talk with Bucky.”

“It will be fine.” Bruce assured him and Tony tried to smile, tried not to act like his stomach wasn’t suddenly twisting, bile rising in his throat.

He didn’t think it was going to be fine at all.


	10. Chapter 10

“On your left!” Clint called as he went jogging past Sam and Bucky, and then he burst out laughing. “I never thought I would get to say that! No wonder Steve says it all the time!” 

“Jesus Christ.” Sam muttered, completely annoyed. “Damn archer comes out for one run and thinks he’s an Olympian.” 

“Yeah well, let him have his moment.” Bucky took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, head back to stare up at the branches and leaves above him. “He’s only passing us because we are walking. It's a one time occurrence. Every other day this week we’ve kicked his ass.”  

“I guess.” Sam grumbled, but he reached over and took Bucky's hand, linking their fingers together and pulling him a little closer so their wings brushed as they walked the trail through the trees. 

They had gone out for a long run every day since Bucky had been home. Family breakfast without Tony was something of a somber affair, so Sam had dragged all three of the male omegas outside with him, running them hard until he was ready to stop, then taking the long way back to the tower, wandering through the trails and taking their time together. 

Today was the fourth day out, and the they had all started out running together, but after a few miles Sam and slowed to a walk and called for Bucky to slow down as well. They had been passed no less than six times on the trail by Steve, and once just now by an overly excited Clint, but they were content to walk in the relative quiet of the woods and just be together. 

“I never want to see sand again.” Bucky said after a long time and Sam smirked. “I mean honestly, who wants sand? It sucks.” 

“Beaches are pretty good.” Sam countered. “Pretty people in hardly any clothes. Beautiful water. Warm sand to lay on. Not all sand sucks.” 

“All sand sucks.” Bucky said defiantly, and Sam laughed out loud before stepping off the path and tugging Bucky into the shade with him. “Where are we go--”

“Are you alright?” Sam asked firmly, backing Bucky up against a tree and holding him there with a hand on his waist, the other on Bucky's jaw. “ _ Are _ you? After Afghanistan, after being gone for so long-- How are you doing? Don't lie to me, okay? Granted, I'm sure I've never come across anyone who has PTSD issues like you have, but I'm trained in counseling, and therapy and all that, so tell me. Are you alright, or is there some way I can help you?”

“I'm fine.” Bucky grasped Sams wrist, pulling it away from his face and threading their fingers together. “I promise. I really am. I mean, I'll be better once I know what the hell is going on with Tony but-- but it's good to be home, you know? Good to be home, and with the family and I'm--I'm fine. I'm alright.” 

“You promise?” Sam’s dark eyes were swimming in concern, his voice rough and his red wings came up to shelter, to shield them. “I'm a Beta, so I'm not as intune to all the hormones and pheromones you Omegas toss around, so I can't actually tell if you are lying and---”

He stopped talking when Bucky closed the short distance between them and kissed his lips, black and silver wings rustling and clicking as he lifted them to touch Sams. 

“Well damn.” Sam cleared his throat. “What was that for?” 

“I'm just glad to be home.” Bucky said a little shyly. 

Kissing Sam wasn't like kissing Nat and Pepper, who usually shoved themselves into his space and kissed his cheek or forehead whether he was prepared for it or not. It also wasn't like kissing Clint, who always kissed like he wanted to rip your clothes off whether it was appropriate or not. And it was absolutely different from kissing Steve, where it seemed like every breath they shared was loaded with meaning, and altogether different from how Tony kissed him-- protective and claiming and dominant. 

No, kissing Sam was just…  _ nice _ . Bucky was almost disappointed that it felt nearly platonic, but then again it was almost a relief, and Sam must have read his mind, because he kissed Bucky again, a little longer this time, and said, “Relax, Buck. I'm not gonna throw you in my bed and coerce you into something naked just because we kissed.” 

“Right.” Bucky grinned self consciously. “Sorry.” 

“It's fine.” Sam leaned in until their foreheads touched. “You know everyone in this crazy family is together with everyone else to some extent. This is  _ our _ extent. Feel free to kiss and cuddle and hold hands all you want. And also to come to me if you need to talk or help working through something.” the last line was said with all the seriousness of a counselor, and Bucky nodded against him. 

“I will.” 

“Thank you.” They rested against each other for a minute, Sams red wings nearly hiding them from the trail, and Bucky knew he was giving off full waves of  _ content,home,affection _ but Sam couldn't pick up on them. It didn’t matter though, whether the Beta knew exactly what the Omega was projecting, because the way Bucky pressed into him, the way he rubbed his nose in the crook of Sam’s neck, the way he purred low and dropped his wings so Sam could cover him even more— all that told Sam anything he needed to know about how Bucky was feeling.

“I’m here for you, you know.” Sam muttered, rubbing comforting circles on Bucky's back. “For whatever. I don’t know what happened in Afghanistan, hell I don’t even know what happened when you were with Hydra, or after Steve found you. I don’t know about any of that. But I’m here for you anyway. However you need.”

“Sounds a lot like what Tony always says.” Bucky's fingers curled tighter into Sam’s waist and the Beta nodded.

“Yeah, well when our Alpha comes out of his lab, I’ll say the same thing to him.” 

************************

“What did you guy get lost?” Clint chucked a Gatorade bottle at Sam. “We’ve been waiting for like half an hour.”

“Yeah well, we’re here now aren’t we?” Sam tossed the bottle back at Clint with a grin, relinquishing Bucky's hand and giving him a light push in Steve’s direction.

“Are you alright?” Steve grabbed at Bucky, bringing him close. “What happened?” A deep breath— “you smell like Sam.”

“You always were so jealous, Stevie.” Bucky tipped his head so Steve could nose over his jaw and down his neck. “I thought you would have outgrown that.”

“Yeah well.” Steve huffed a laugh, and pulled away. “Apparently all that time in the ice didn’t change my less favorable attributes. Are you alright, though?”

“I'm fine.” Bucky nodded, slid his hand around the back of Steve’s neck and brought him in for a long kiss, the edges on his feathers clicking against one another as they lifted high, presenting out for the other Omega.

“ _ Bucky _ .” Steve sighed, his own wings lifting in response, gold feathers blending with black. “Bucky…” his words trailed off into another long kiss, and he melted into the embrace, his fingers in Bucky's long hair.

“They’re good together, aren’t they?” Clint elbowed Sam. “Super soldiers, super pretty, super  _ big. _ ”

“They really are.” Sam agreed.

“Tell me what you and my Bucky baby talked about.” Clint ordered. “I’m not gonna let you mess with him, you know that? He just got home, he’s all vulnerable and upset, you need to keep your charm away.”

“Clint.” Sam looked away from the other Omegas and met Clint’s eyes. “First of all, you know damn well I wouldn’t just mess with Bucky. We’re family and we love each other and if you aren’t careful, I’m gonna break your nose for saying that shit.”

“Yeah, alright.” Clint looked properly chastised for that. “Tell me what you talked about then.”

“I told him that if he needed to talk, I was here. Reminded him that I am trained in counseling people who suffer from PTSD and that even though I didn’t know everything he’d been through, I was willing to listen.”

“I guess that’s fine.” Clint grunted. “Sorry. I’m protective as shit over him.”

“It’s fine.” Sam’s wings snapped open, settling over the Omegas shoulders and Clint leaned into him, into his warmth. “You know, I actually think he’s alright? I think we all think of him as teetering on the edge of a break, and he definitely used to be, but he’s stronger than we give him credit for. That might all change of course, after whatever happened in Afghanistan comes out and we have to deal with that, but until then-- I think Bucky might just be okay.” 

“Thank god.” Clint closed his eyes and turned further into him, and Sam smiled but didn’t say anything.

The Omegas never liked to hear that they were  _ needy _ , but  _ all _ of them were needy, and in the absence of their Alpha, Sam had found himself stepping up and being the strong presence in the Tower, keeping Clint and Steve on an even keel, letting Natasha take her frustrations out on him during training, letting Pepper cry into his arms, and sitting with Bruce while the scientist scrolled through thousands of pages of information trying to find anything there was to find about who could potentially lead them to Tony.

It had been a long few months, but Sam had stepped into the role easily, and as Clint burrowed under his wings, Sam felt a burst of pride in his ability to soothe his family. 

“Are you guys ready?” Steve and Bucky had finally peeled apart, still holding hands but ready to get going.

“Yep.” Sam didn’t lift his wings, unwilling to ask Clint to move out from beneath them, just waiting until the Omega took a deep breath and moved by himself.

“Come on.” Steve motioned for him and Clint came willingly, murmuring something soft to Bucky and then taking Steve’s outstretched hand.

Sam followed a step behind them, watching the way the Omegas cling to each other, the way they smiled and touched, their wings flicking and fluttering with every change in their conversation. 

He really  _ did _ think Bucky was alright. Those crystal blue eyes had been honest and steady and clear as they spoke, warming with genuine emotion when they kissed. There was no telling what would happen once Tony reappeared. Sam knew something had happened in the desert between the Alpha and Bucky, but no one was talking about it because no one knew for sure. Sam just hoped Bucky was strong enough to withstand whatever fallout there would be once Tony decided to talk to them.  

Steve was as well as could be expected, having dealt with worrying about losing both his Alpha  _ and  _ his oldest friend somewhere in the desert. Now that both Tony and Bucky were home, the Omega was happier, but there was still something off about him, like he had a secret that was weighing him down, and even though Sam had asked, Steve had remained silent about it. 

It was  _ Clint  _ that Sam worried the most about. The smart ass archer had withdrawn into himself, smiling less and spending more time alone as the weeks had dragged on. And now with Tony  _ home  _ but not wanting to be with the family, Clint kept trying to smile, but he wasn't sleeping hardly at all and wasn't eating. No one thought of Clint as the most sensitive of the Omegas, but he had already been loved and left by one Alpha.

Sam didn’t know if Clint could handle losing another one.

******************

******************

Tony sat in a chair he dragged over from the kitchen, sitting with his hands clasped loosely in his lap, staring out at his family.

Pepper had texted everyone, asking them to come back to the Tower, and it had taken no more than half an hour for the guys to get home and shower and get back downstairs, ready to talk to them, and now Tony didn't know what to say, didn't know where to begin.

Natasha looked exhausted, her head on Peppers lap, green eyes wary and it broke Tony's heart that she was so unsure of him. Pepper was still wiping away stray tears, still shaken from having put the new reactor in Tony's chest, horrified at the extent of the damage she had seen on his body. She had touched their foreheads together and outright sobbed, and Tony had cried again with her. 

Steve and Clint were holding hands, and Clint seemed like he couldn't quite meet Tony's gaze, glancing at him and then away and shifting uncomfortably until Sam moved over and took his other hand, raising his red wings and settling them easily around Clints shoulders. Both Omegas relaxed then, turning a little more into Sam’s embrace and Tony hated that they had to rely on the Beta, hated that he couldn't be there for them like he was supposed to be. 

But he was so thankful for Sam, for the steady presence and unyielding strength the Beta had, for the way he had stepped up and been who the team needed. 

Bucky-- _ god _ Tony couldn't hardly look at Bucky, but every time he managed to, the Omega wasnt looking at him. Bucky was staring at the ground, beautiful wings tucked far behind his shoulders, his left arm nearly hidden behind his back and it was so reminiscent of how he used to stand, how he tried to hide himself that Tony wanted to scream. He wanted to scream because  _ he  _ had done that to Bucky, he had stripped the Omega of every bit of confidence he had gained before Afghanistan and reduced him back to someone who was still afraid of Alphas, afraid of  _ him _ . 

Tony thought he could be sick, seeing his family so hurt, so torn because of  _ him _ . 

But they were all watching him, all waiting to see what he would say, so Tony pushed down the inadequacy and the uncertainty and cleared his throat so he could try to explain… something. Anything. Everything. 

“I missed you guys.” he said quietly, and nearly everyone’s wings opened in welcome, in comfort, flicking forward towards him, and the simple gesture brought tears to his eyes. 

It was easier after that, after those first words, and Tony managed to tell the story of his capture, of Yinsen and Raza without breaking down. 

It was harder, when he unbuttoned his shirt to show them the scars and the arc reactor and Natasha actually cried out, turning away and burying her face in Peppers lap and Pepper started crying all over again. 

When he explained about the shrapnel and the battery he had been hooked up to, and how he made the arc reactor from spare parts of weapons, it was Sam who had to look away, who had to swallow back his grief. 

He had to look away from the horror on their faces when he talked about the torture, about the water and the burns, the beatings and the solitude, and when he looked up at Bucky, the Omega had his eyes closed, his shoulders hunched as he listened. 

“I talked about you.” he said softly. “Yinsen would bandage me up and ask me about my family and you guys-- you were all that kept me going. Every time.” 

He told them about his wings, lifting them carefully so they could see the dull feathers, and admitted that he wasn't sure if they were ever going to be beautiful again. Then-- “I need to work through a lot before I can feel like myself again.” Tony whispered, and Steve’s fists clenched against the physical  _ need  _ to go to his Alpha. “But I miss you, I miss my family, and I want to be with you again.” 

His hand shook, and his voice cracked when he said-- “Bruce and I are working on a few things to help me-- to help me cope, and I'm sorry if you feel like I'm not there for you like I used to be--” and Clint shook his head vehemently with a muttered,  _ we just want to be there for you Alpha.  _

Tony flinched at the word  _ Alpha _ , and the whole family saw it, but they were all too shocked to say anything. Their Alpha sat in front of them with  _ hurt,scared,anxious _ hanging in the air around him and it was almost suffocating in it's intensity. 

“You need to let us be there for you.” Clint spoke up again, reaching out to Tony with one hand. “You have been there for all of through everything we could possibly need you for, and now you need us. Stop shutting us out.” 

“I'm sorry.” Tony whispered. “I didn't think you would want to see me like this.” 

“Like what?” Natasha’s voice wobbled. “Hurting? Bruised? Dealing with nightmares and flashbacks? Reliving terrible moments? You don't think we don't know what that's like?” 

“Shes right.” Sam added. “Tony, you have seen us all at our absolute worst. And you always say we aren't at our worst as long as we have our family to keep us going. We are here for you.” 

“We are.” Pepper nodded, biting her lip so she wouldn't cry anymore. “Please let us be there for you.” 

“Thank you for staying with him.” Steve spoke up, directing it towards Bruce. “Thank you for not letting our Alpha be alone.” 

“Of course not.” Bruce muttered, and Rhodes opened his wings enough to brush over Bruce’s shoulders in thanks.  

Then Tony looked up and met Bucky's eyes for the first time, and he seemed to break a little, seemed to hunch further into his chair. “I need to talk to you.” his voice was barely a whisper. “Bucky, I need to-- we need to talk.” 

“Okay.” Bucky's voice was just as quiet. “Right now?” 

“Can you meet me downstairs?” Tony asked, and when Bucky nodded, Tony got up and walked right out of the room, his wings dragging the ground, rubbing at his chest. 

The moment he was out of the room, Pepper broke down completely and both Rhodes and Natasha moved to hold her. 

“Why do you look like you are scared something terrible is going to happen?” Sam pulled Steve aside, sending a quick glance at Clint, who sat with his head in his hands. “When Tony told Bucky he needed to talk. Do you know something? Why do you look so upset?”

Steve swallowed hard, a wave of dread swamping him as Bucky headed down to the lab. “I don't know exactly. But it's going to be bad, either way.” 

“Do I need to be down there?” Sams voice pitched in alarm and Steve shook his head. 

“Stay here with Clint. I'll go. I think-- I think it will be better if I go.” 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a rough chapter lovelies! Invest in some tissues!

“Tony.” Bucky stepped into the lab, waiting until the doors closed behind him before speaking. “Tony?” 

“Bucky.” Tony was sitting at his computer, looking pale and anxious and Bucky moved a few steps closer, wings lifting in concern, stopping only when Tony put a hand up. “I need you to-- _ shit.”  _ He took a deep breath in, blowing it out slowly before he could talk again. 

“Mission report. December 19th, 1991.” 

“Tony.” Bucky jerked back a step. “What are you doing? Why would you--”

“Mission report.” Tony repeated. “December 19th 1991.  _ Please _ .” 

“I--I--” Bucky blinked rapidly, then his face shuttered as the memory came back, and his wings closed around him defensively. “December 19th, 1991.” his voice was flat. “Two targets. Objective: Eliminate targets, retrieve items in trunk of car. Intercepted targets and instigated a car crash. Killed the driver first, older white male, then the passenger, older white female. Retrieved package from back of car. Mission completed. Reported back to base, was put back under.” 

“Jesus Christ.” Tony muttered. 

“I don't understand why you want that information.” Bucky sounded devastated. “Why are you asking me to relive Hydra missions? Are you testing my memory or  _ punishing  _ me or--”

“Do you remember them?” The Alpha interrupted. “Do you remember  _ them _ ? Those people specifically?” 

“I remember them all!” Bucky cried. “I remember  _ all of them _ Tony! Every single person I ever had to look in the face as I killed them! I see all their eyes, hear all their screams! I can tell you when and where and exactly how I did it, and I can tell you how helpless I felt every time. How awful it was to feel the life leaving their bodies, to watch their eyes dim under my hands and I can tell you how bad the nightmares were  _ all the time _ because cryo freeze doesn't erase that sort of thing!”

He went to his knees in front of Tony. “Now  _ you  _ tell me why.  _ Why  _ Alpha? Why are you making me remember this? Are you  _ punishing  _ me for something? Why would you make me---”

He stopped talking when the big screen in Tony's lab clicked on, a video filling it and Bucky watched as a car crashed, as a motorcycle roared up, watched as  _ he  _ ripped the door off the car and dragged a man out, beating him savagely. Then Bucky watched as  _ he  _ put his hand around the woman’s neck and strangled her, watched as  _ he  _ opened the trunk and took whatever was in there and took off on his motorcycle again. 

The time stamp read December 19th, 1991. 

And the newspaper Tony threw at his feet said the same thing. 

_ \--Howard and Maria Stark killed in Car Crash- _ -   
  


“No.” he blurted. “No. No Tony,  _ no _ . Oh my god---” Bucky wanted to scream, wanted to tear his hair out, wanted to shout that it couldn't have been him, wanted to crawl to his Alpha and beg for forgiveness, wanted to run as far as he could and hide somewhere where it wasn't true, where he didn't have to think about---

“Tell me you didn't know, and I'll believe you.” Tony whispered. “Tell me you didn't know it was them. Or that you didn't know that I was their kid when you met me. Tell me that when Steve brought you home, you had no idea that you had done this.” 

“I didn't know.” Bucky cried. “Tony _ I didn't know _ \-- I didn't know-- I swear. Tony, how did you-- who showed you---where did you even---”

“In the cave.” Tony stared up at the screen. “In the cave, they showed me the video. Asked me if I knew who I was letting into my Tower, into my family.” 

“No no no.” Bucky made a fist, smashing it into the floor and leaving a dent. “Tony,  _ no _ . God dammit. That's why you pulled away from me?  _ This  _ is why you didn't want me near you-- Jesus  _ fucking  _ Christ. No Tony. I swear. I swear I didn't know. I didn't know---”

“I believe you.” Tony';s voice was even, but tears were pouring down his face, his hands clenched tightly in his lap. “I believe you, Bucky. You didn't know. I believe you. I do. I promise.”

“I'm gonna be sick.” Bucky struggled to his feet. “I'm gonna be sick-- oh my god---” he half ran, half stumbled out of the lab, crashing into tables as he tried to make it out the door. 

“Bucky!” Steve caught him as he tried to dash up the stairs. “Bucky what? Are you--”

“I killed his parents.” Bucky was retching, dry heaving, gasping for air, struggling to even stand. “Steve, I killed his parents, the Soldier-- it's my fault--it's  _ my _ fault---I can't breathe--  _ fuck  _ I can't breathe--” 

“Sam!” Steve screamed for the Beta, both arms around Bucky to try and keep him steady. “ _ SAM _ !”

“I'm here!” Sam took Bucky right from him, halfway dragging the hysterical Omega up the stairs, away from the lab. “Go see our Alpha. Go!”

“Tony!” Steve ran into the lab, skidding onto his knees and grabbing his Alpha’s hands. “Tony. Are you okay-- what the hell just happened--what can I do to help?” 

“Did you know?” Tony was shaking, his wings trying and failing to lift up to cover himself. “Steve. Don't lie to me. Tell me. Did you know?” 

“I didn't know when I brought him home.” Steve said honestly. “Not until after you were gone. I was looking through old SHIELD files for any hint about enemies of your parents and found the video--”

“When?” 

“About two weeks before they found you.” Steve whispered. “I didn't tell anyone. Only me and JARVIS saw the footage-- how--how did you find out?” 

“Were you ever going to tell me?” Tony asked instead. “Or were you going to let me live with Bucky and never know?” 

“It wasn't him.” Steve inched closer, held Tony's hands tighter. “I never wanted to have to tell you, I never wanted to have to talk about this, but  _ it wasn't him _ . Tell me you know that.  _ Tell me _ you know it wasn't him.” 

“I have a right to be angry about this.” Tony stared down at their hands. “I have a right to be angry at you, at Bucky, at everything. I do. Don't tell me I can't be angry.” 

“I'm not going to.” Steve promised, working hard to keep himself steady when all he wanted to do was scream about how  _ fucking unfair  _ all of this was. “Be angry, Alpha.” 

Tony flinched at the word and Steve shook his head. “Don't pull away. Alpha,  _ my  _ Alpha,  _ our  _ Alpha. Be angry. Scream and rage, take it out on me. Maybe I should have told you right away, but I didn't know you were sitting here knowing this, having to think about it. That's not an excuse, I'm not trying to make an excuse-- or maybe I am. Maybe I should have told you, Tony, and I'm sorry I didn’t. So be angry with me.” Steve dropped his head to their clasped hands, letting Tony feel the tears he couldn't seem to stop. “I can take it, but Bucky can't. It will break him. I can take it.” 

“I'm not angry with you.”  _ God why did those words sound so dead _ ? “I'm not angry with you. I'm not angry with Bucky, either. You’re right.” Tony pulled his hands from Steve, pushed his chair back so he was sitting back in front of his computer, leaving Steve there on his knees. 

“You’re right. It's not him. You can see it on the video. Not him. Just the Soldier. It's not his fault and I-- I'm not angry with him.” 

“Then why would you ask him about it? Why would you bring it up at all?”

“I had to know.” Tony motioned to the blank screen. “I had to look him in the eyes and know if he knew, if he remembered, if he had called me  _ his Alpha  _ and slept in my arms while knowing he took my parents from me. I had to know for sure, because I can't handle  _ wondering _ .”

“He didn't know.” Steve insisted. “Tony he  _ didn't _ . He couldn't even breathe, couldn't walk, he is so upset and---”

“I know he didn't. He didn't. He says he didn't, and I believe him. Not his fault. I'm fine. I mean, I'm not fine. But I'm not angry with Bucky. I just had to-- had to work it out in my mind. Had to know for sure that he didn't know and now it's… it's not fine, you know? But I don't blame  _ him _ .”

“Who are you angry with?” Steve pleaded. “Tell me, Alpha.” 

“I don't know exactly who to blame.” Tony said, and with a few key strokes on his computer, the floor in the center of the lab started opening, a platform rising from beneath it. 

On the platform was a red and gold suit of armor, it's face nothing more than eye slits and a flat line for a mouth, molded wings in exquisite detail along the back, and a perfect circle in it's chest the exact size of Tony's arc reactor. 

“Tony?” Steve asked cautiously. “What is this?” 

“I don't know who to blame, and I don't know who to be angry at.” Tony repeated, and the suit shifted, opened on several flaps along shoulders and arms to expose dozens of rockets, heavy duty, armor piercing rounds. “But someone is sure as hell going to pay.” 

“ _ Alpha-- _ ”

“Go check on Bucky.” Tony instructed, and repulsors on the suit fired up, lifting it clear off the platform. “I have work to do.” 

“Should I have told you?” Steve stood to his feet, wings dragging the floor, shoulders slumped. “Tony, should I have--- would you want to know?” 

Tony was silent for a long time, staring at the suit in front on him. Then-- “I don't know. I don't know if you should have told me. Neither one of us might have  _ ever  _ known if I hadn't been kidnapped, and we could have just been one happy family forever. But life is just-- just so much worse than I ever thought it would be, and now we know and I-- I don't know if you should have told me. It doesn't make a difference either way, now, does it? It's all just… awful.” 

“I’m so sorry.” Steve scrubbed tears away. “Tony I'm so sorry.” 

“You need to go see Bucky.” Tony waved him off. “We don't need to keep talking about it. Go talk to Bucky and we should all try to… move on.” 

“How do we move on from this?” Steve took a step towards the Alpha, put his hand out coaxingly. “How do we do that?” 

“I don't know.” Tony didn't look at him. “I don't know how to move on from this, Steve. Everything is different now.” 

“Everything?” Steve couldn't dampen the  _ panic,anxiety  _ that flooded him at the thought of his Alpha not wanting him anymore. “ _ Everything _ ?” 

“Don't do that.” Tony jumped to his feet, taking several steps towards the Omega before he stopped. “Honey, no.” he shook his head. “No. Don't do that. Steve, I am always going to love you, you are always going to be my Omega, alright?  _ Always _ . This is shitty, and everything is--different, but that won't ever change.” 

The Alpha’s wings lifted in an attempt at comfort, then dropped back down in defeat. “I just don't know how to be your Alpha, right now. The family’s Alpha. I don't know how to do it. But I'm going to try. I promise. I'll try. With you and--and Bucky-- and everyone else.” 

“We’re here if you need us, Alpha.” Steve whispered, and went back up the stairs to check on Bucky.

Tony sat back at his desk and rubbed over the arc reactor, and wondered if he would ever stop hurting. 


	12. Chapter 12

It was all over the news the following Friday morning. 

Something about a man who had crashed down somewhere in Afghanistan and obliterated an entire village. Another station said it wasn't a man, but a robot. A third had spoken with survivors, who insisted the robot had ushered the civilians to safety, and then proceeded to completely destroy everything in the village. 

The mountains around the village were literally falling, rockets blasted into caves and then the rubble broken down even further. Weapon caches that no one knew existed were destroyed, and the UN was scrambling to both figure out who or _what the fuck_ was responsible, and to explain how these weapons had been stockpiled without their knowledge. 

Pepper was in press conferences all morning, because leaked video footage showed that the weapons being destroyed were Stark weapons, and Pepper could only assure the reporters that _no_ , she didn't think it was a vendetta against Stark Industries, and _no_ of course she hadn't known that Stark tech was ending up in the hands of terrorists, and god, _no_ the robot was not some sort of vigilante hired by Stark Industries as a retaliation for their CEO being held captive for so many months. 

The family all watched the news with growing unease, Steve especially, because he didn't want to believe that the suit on the television was the same suit Tony had been messing with last night but---

\--Well, if he had any doubts, they were put to rest when a very pissed off Alpha James Rhodes slammed the door open and shouted, “WHERE THE HELL IS TONY?” 

“Lab.” Natasha said without looking away from the television. “Or at least that's what we think. We haven't seen him in almost a week.” 

“Wait, are you serious?” The colonel stopped dead in his tracks. “What about-- Banner, why aren't you down there with him?” 

“He kicked me out.” Bruce said with a frustrated groan. “Said this way I have plausible deniability.” 

“Damn it.” Rhodey closed his eyes for a minute. “And you guys haven't seen him in a week?” 

“Not since--” Sam cleared his throat, his eyes flicking towards Steve. “Not since everything happened.” 

“Right.” Rhodes looked pained. “Alright. I'm going to go talk to him. You guys hang tight and I'll-- wait. Where is Sergeant Barnes? How is he doing with all this?” 

“ _ Sergeant Barnes _ \--” Pepper interrupted, sounding completely peeved. “Is on a mission for SHIELD. Apparently Fury thought it was appropriate to send him out into the field and without Tony around to say no, Bucky just  _ went _ . Just packed a bag and walked out the front door.” 

“ _ Bucky _ is in the field?” The Alpha barely suppressed a growl. Fury knew better than to even  _ contact  _ the team members without Tony's permission, but to pull someone like Bucky who had already been damaged physically  _ and  _ was going through emotional trauma--- Rhodes was going to hold that mouthy Beta down beat some sense into him. 

“Bucky said he needed distracting.” Steve sounded exhausted, looked like he hadn't slept in days. “Said that he couldn't just sit here and wait for Tony to decide to-- wait for Tony to decide something. And I can't blame him. Things are really… things are really shitty right now.” 

“Tony hasn't talked to you.” Rhodes frowned. “I am truly sorry about that, Captain.”

“It's not your fault.” Steve muttered and looked away. “We can't expect Tony to just jump back into life with us, right? Not after what happened. I understand if he doesn't want to be--” he cleared his throat. “To be around us.” 

Pepper reached over to hold Steve’s hand. “Tony said he would try, but that was a week ago and none of us have seen him at all. None of us really know what is going on but I think it's safe to say--” she glanced at Sam for confirmation. “We are all worried.” 

“Damn it.” Rhodes said again. He was uncomfortable in the room, wings fluttering anxiously from all the overwhelming  _ lonely,uneasy,desperate _ the family was projecting. 

“It's Tony isn't it?” Steve asked, motioning towards the television. “The suit?” 

Rhodes didn't answer, and Steve nodded jerkily in understanding before leaning back against Pepper and letting her pale pink wings surround him. 

He watched the family for a few more minutes, watched them huddle close together for comfort, and walked with heavy steps down toward the lab. 

Tony was so caught up in whatever the hell this madness was, that he had no idea his family was splintering apart. 

***********************

**********************

“What  _ the  _ hell are you thinking?” Rhodes had had a speech prepared for when he saw Tony, something about patience, and coping and all that, but when he saw Tony sitting in his lab looking innocent as hell, every thought about  _ patience  _ went right out the window. 

“Tony!” Rhodes smacked his hand on the desk. “What the hell are you thinking, doing this kind of shit.” 

Tony swiveled around in his chair calmly, a benign smile on his face. “Honeybear, I have no idea what you are talking about.” 

“Tony. Tell me exactly why then, a robot in your  _ favorite fucking shade of red _ just so happened to blow up everything within a ten mile radius of where we found you?” Rhodes was so angry he was nearly vibrating, his wings up and flared, eyes tinting red.

“Honestly, no idea. Why are you even here?” Tony sent him a bemused look. “Don't you have better things to do then bug me?” 

“Tony. I  _ swear  _ if I find out it's you--”

“But you  _ won't _ , will you?” Tony interrupted. “Plausible deniability. You’ll have your suspicions, but acting on them will mean you’ll have to acknowledge what's going on and you don't want to do that. It's like MIT all over again, when you knew damn well that I was hacking the teachers database and fucking with their schedules but you refused to even mention it because you didn't want to have to lie if you were asked about it. This is literally the same situation.” 

“Tony. This is literally nothing like MIT. That was harmless shenanigans. This is not shenanigans. What  _ you  _ are doing is--”

“Stop insinuating it's me, Rhodes. I am absolutely not a superhero.” 

_ “I never said you were _ .” Rhodes seethed. “Never once did I use the word superhero. Tony I am two seconds from--”

“No? Not superhero? I could have sworn you--well then, this is awkward isn't it?” Tony grinned and went right back to working as if Rhodes wasn't there.

“Why are you bruised up, then?” the Colonel demanded. “Why do you look like you’ve been in a fight?” 

“Jogging in the canyon. Driving with the windows down. Um, rough sex?” 

“... Tony.” Rhodes sat down in a chair. “ _ Tony _ . I don't want to have to bury you. I can't do that. I don't know  _ what  _ you are doing exactly, and I can't say I don't understand  _ why  _ you are doing it. Just don't-- don't make me bury you. I can't, Tony. Can't put my best friend in the ground because he wanted revenge.” 

“It's under control Rhodey.” 

“Yeah, but are  _ you  _ under control? Damn it, Tony, you are like two steps away from a supervillain at this point. You have all this money, and a team of scarily dangerous people who call you Alpha all holed up in this fortress and now  _ this _ ? If you bought a creepy cat, we’d have to call you Dr Evil!

“...Doom would be better.” 

“ _ Tony _ !” 

“ _ Rhodes _ !” Tony pushed away from his desk, angry now. “I was perfectly helpless for three months alright? I couldn't do a damn thing to help myself or anyone else. How can I call myself  _ Alpha  _ of this family when I'm not even strong enough to take care of myself? But this--” he jabbed a finger at the screen. “Like this? I'm strong enough for anything, alright? Why don't you understand that?” 

“I  _ do  _ understand it, Tony, but you don't have to be strong by yourself.” The Colonel opened his blue wings in a welcoming gesture, held his hand out for Tony to take. “That's the whole point of  _ family _ . You don't have to be strong by yourself.” 

Tony folded his arms, stubbornly refusing to take Rhodes hand. “You said it yourself, Rhodey. The most dangerous people in the world call me Alpha. Say all you want about the family being strong together, but the fact is,  _ any one of them _ could have made it out of that cave by themselves. I couldn’t. I would have died if you and Bucky hadn't found me.”

“You’re doing this for the wrong reasons, Tony.” 

“Yeah, well regardless of my reasons, I'm never going to be that helpless again, Rhodey. Either support me with this or get the fuck out.”

“Tony--”

“GET OUT!” 

“I'm not leaving you.” Rhodes shook his head. “When have I ever left you? I'm not letting you self destruct by yourself. And if you won't reach out to your family, at least reach out to me. Needing someone to help you isn't weak.” 

“It sure seems like it.” Tony muttered. “I'll call you later, alright? After I've calmed down? I don't want to talk about this anymore.” 

“You will absolutely call me.” Rhodes said firmly. “Pretty sure you owe me a drink after the heart attack I had this morning anyway. How am I supposed to explain the fighter jets we sent out after that robot you had ‘nothing to do with’? One of our pilots had to eject from his plane.” 

“Call it a training exercise.” Tony finally smiled. “Isn't that the bullshit you usually play it off as?” 

“I'm not calling this a training exercise.” Rhodey threatened as he bent and hugged Tony. “And for the love of God, will you please spend some time with your Omegas? I won't argue with you about whatever it is you're doing here, but I will kick your ass if you keep neglecting your family do you hear me?” 

“I hear you.” Tony looked down at his feet. “I just don't know how to-- I mean, where do I start? What do I say that covers… everything?” 

“You mean about Bucky and your parents.” This time Rhodeys wings circled around Tony's shoulders, covering the multicolored feathers in a blanket of blue. “You haven't said anything about that, how are you--”

“I'm fine.” Tony assured him, then winced. “I mean, I'm  _ not  _ fine. But I made my peace about my parents death years ago, and even when I had to sit there and watch that fucking video, I just-- I just hurt for Bucky. I just  _ hurt  _ for him.”

“Do you realize he is gone on a SHIELD mission for Fury?” 

“What?!” Tony's wings opened in anger. “How could the family let him--”

“Because  _ you  _ weren't there to say no.” Rhodes raised his eyebrows. “You  _ aren't  _ there, so what would stop him from leaving? You said you were going to try with them and then you lock yourself away down here?” 

“I don't know what to say to him!” Tony blurted. “I don't know! How do I start that conversation? Hey, Bucky, you killed my parents and essentially ruined my life, but it's fine because I know it wasn't you? Hey Bucky, I know I made you tell me the details of my parents death and then I made you watch the video, but I had to be sure you are telling me the truth?” 

“Oh, Tony--”

“No,  _ tell  _ me. How do I phrase that? How do I tell Bucky that all I want to do is hold him again and cry about it together? How do I tell Steve that I can't sleep without him in my arms? And  _ Clint _ ? Clint lost Phil and I'm sure he thinks he’s lost me too. How do I apologize for that? Rhodey, how do I change the fact that I all but abandoned him? You know, Natasha and Pepper, they don't need me as much. Sam doesn't actually  need me at all, I don't have to be an Alpha when I'm with him. But my Omegas--” 

Tony’s next breath was shaky. “I can barely get  _ myself  _ through a day, how am I supposed to get them through a day as well? I don't even know how to begin to fix our relationships. I don't know what to do, I don't know what to say.  _ I just don't know _ .” 

“Maybe you don't need to say anything at all.” Rhodes said slowly. “You’re their  _ Alpha _ . If you want to hold them, just do it. Just  _ hold  _ them. Sometimes that's all it takes.” 

“You think?” 

Rhodes hugged his friend again, trying to project only  _ calm,support,love _ to the other Alpha. “Stop shutting yourself off from your family, Tony. They need you, and you need them, and if I can be honest, it's about time someone else dealt with your superhero shenanigans.” 

“Superhero shenanigans, huh?” Tony tried to smile. “In the robot you know nothing about?” 

“I know nothing about a robot, or a suit, or anything else that remotely resembles anything that might sound like you flying or soaring or gliding or being in the Middle East because I know for a  _ fact  _ that you have been snugged up with your Omegas for weeks now. Probably haven't even left your bedroom. Am I right?” 

“Love you Honeybear.” Tony flicked his wings up to touch Rhodes. “And thank you.” 

“I love you too, Tones.” 

“So you gonna call that a routine training exercise?” Tony called as Rhodes headed up the stairs. 

“No, Tony. We don't actually use that as a valid excuse!” Rhodey yelled back down. 

******************

_ “There was an unfortunate event during a routine training exercise, but the pilot was safely ejected and made it back to--” _

Tony laughed out loud and switched the TV off, pulling his phone out to text something obnoxious to Rhodey about training  _ exercises _ and  _ lying to the press _ and  _ plausible deniability _ , but before he could hit send, his phone chimed with an incoming text. 

**From Nat-- Alpha, need you. My room.**

_ Hold them _ . Rhodes had said.  _ Sometimes that's all it takes _ .

Tony hesitated over the screen for a long time before texting back:

**To Nat-- I'm on my way.**


	13. Chapter 13

“Nat?” Tony knocked on her door, waiting a beat before calling for her again. “Tasha? Can I come in?” 

“Tony.” Pepper opened the door instead, a pleased smile on her face, pink wings fluttering open as she took his hand and pulled him inside. “We weren’t sure you were going to come.”  

“I texted Nat and said---.” Tony raised his eyebrows when he saw the silk camisole and tiny shorts Pepper was wearing. “Um, am I interrupting something fun?” 

“Don't be ridiculous.” Natasha emerged from the bathroom wearing…  _ less…  _ and Tony gulped back the urge to growl approvingly. “We just figured scantily clad redheads were a sure fire way to get you upstairs. You’ve been locked in the lab for so long, we had to figure out what was more interesting than  _ computers _ .” 

“Silk and lace will do it.” Tony chuckled, then his face fell, wings dropping. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've been neglecting you---”

“Hush.” Pepper handed him a glass of wine, waiting until he took a sip before leading him to the bed. “You don't need to apologize to us, Tony. That's now what this is about.” 

“Then what's it about, then?” Tony let Natasha take his jacket off, but when she reached for his shirt, he backed up a step, a hand over his chest protectively.

“Alpha.” Natasha’s full lips twitched in a smile, hiding the twinge of hurt at having Tony pull away from her. “I've seen you naked before, and Pepper has lived with you long enough I think she’s seen you naked whether she meant to or not.” Pepper-- who was obviously two or three glasses into a bottle of wine-- clapped her hand over her mouth and giggled, and Tasha rolled her eyes. 

“She’s also quite the lightweight, which means another glass and she won't remember seeing you naked anyway. It's not a problem.” She winked at Tony, knowing damn well he was trying to avoid her seeing the mess of scars crossing his skin, and perfectly determined to prove to him that she didn't care. 

So she tugged at his shirt again and this time he let her unbutton it, so she stood on her toes to bring their mouths together as she ran her hands lightly up to and over the arc reactor. Tony kissed her back hesitantly, and she hummed encouragingly, rubbing her barely covered chest against the rough scars until the Alpha growled into her lips, his fingers hooking into her waist. 

“Bed.” she instructed, breaking the kiss and backing away with a twinkle in her eye. “Face down.” 

Tony obeyed, partly because Pepper was sitting cross legged on the mattress, patting her lap invitingly, and partly because he wouldn't put it past Natasha to drop kick him onto the bed to get what she wanted. 

Plus… he had enjoyed the hell out of that kiss, surprising himself with how badly he wanted it to continue. With everything that had been happening, everything he had been trying to deal with, Tony had been struggling with just being with his family, much less trying to initiate anything...else. 

But Natasha was wonderful and  _ wicked  _ coaxed him down onto the blankets, pressing his head into Peppers lap, and sliding her small hands up his bare back to the base of his wings, brushing her body against him as she did, and Tony closed his eyes as a curl of  _ arousal  _ wound through him. 

Pepper smelled incredible, and he turned his nose into her thigh, breathing in the scent of cinnamon and cloves, her light vanilla perfume. Even with the suppressants muting most of her biology, her scent had always been sweet and comforting, and he snuggled closer into her. 

“Oh Tony.” she whispered, and ran slim fingers through his hair. “Get as close as you need. I'm here for you.” 

_ Damn it _ , Tony needed that reassurance more than he needed anything else, and he looped his arms around her waist and squeezed lightly in appreciation. 

“I going to touch your wings, Alpha.” Natasha gave him a quick warning before pushing her hands against the fragile bones, stretching them gently, slowly until his multi colored wings were fully unfurled out to their almost six foot length on either side of his body. 

“Are you alright?” Tasha whispered, her breath warm in his ear, and even though Tony had been gritting his teeth against the nearly uncomfortable pull of weak muscles, he nodded and Tasha  _ hmmmd  _ in satisfaction and lay a kiss between his shoulder blades, before moving off the bed. 

The sweet scent of oil is what Tony noticed next, and he jerked when cool liquid landed on his feathers. “Nat what are you--” 

“We thought you would like to be groomed.” Pepper poured a generous amount of oil into her own hands and started working it into the feathers on Tony's shoulders. “Even if it doesn’t bring back your full color, you will feel better about your wings. And the stretch is good for them. You have always kept them tucked back behind your shoulders, even before everything happened, but it's more important now than ever to make sure you are using them.”

“What would I use my wings for?” Tony sucked in a quick breath when something twinged, and Pepper soothed him quietly. “They are just in the way when I work and---”

“Tony.” Natasha sounded like she was laughing, sitting cross legged on the floor working on his gold and silver primaries. “Walk downstairs and open your wings and watch everyone in the room gasp and stutter and try to jump your bones. Or have you forgotten how much we all love them?” 

“Such wonderful colors.” Pepper murmured, reaching for the soft, rounded brush they used to straighten crooked feathers. “You have the most beautiful wings I've ever seen, Tony.”   

“Oh yeah?” Tony settled a little further into her lap and closed his eyes again. “Rumour has it you prefer Rhodey’s dark blue.” 

“I--I--oh!” Pepper’s mouth dropped open. “Natasha! Have you been spreading rumours about me?” 

“I did no such thing.” Natasha denied, changing positions so she could reach more of Tony's wing. “But Pepper, it's not like you are subtle about it.” 

“Honey, if it makes you feel better, Rhodey isn't subtle about it either.” Tony smiled against her skin. “I still need you to tell me my wings are prettier though.” 

He was joking, but the girls were so happy to hear him teasing that they wasted no time in telling him exactly that-- “Oh Alpha, you’re wings are beautiful.” -- “So much prettier than Rhodes’.” -- “Honestly, it's not even a competition.” 

“Mmm.” Tony cleared his throat of the emotion clogging it, the praise bringing unexpected tears to his eyes.  _ God  _ he was tired of crying, but it had been so long since he had felt anything  _ good  _ that even the small things overwhelmed him. 

“Shhh, Tony.” Pepper, perfect thing that she was, felt the change in his scent, and trilled comfortingly. “Just relax and let us pamper you, hm? You need it, and we want to spend time with you, and we are  _ happy  _ to do this.” 

“We really are.” Natasha assured him from her place on the floor, running her hand over the different shades of red that filled the middle of his wings. “This is the most we have been with you since you got home.”

“And--” Pepper hesitated, her fingers stilling on the deep brown feathers. “I know you are having a hard time being around the other Omegas, and I don't mean because of what happened with you and Bucky, even though if you want to talk about that, we are here to listen. I mean because you aren’t feeling like an Alpha, and you think you can't be around them because they  need so much from you, that you can't give right now.” 

“I--” Tony started to deny it, but fell silent, because she was  _ right _ . “Yeah.” he finally said. “Yeah, you’re right.” 

“It's easier with us.” Natasha offered, switching sides of the bed so she could work on the other wing. “I'm a Beta and with Pep on her suppressants, you don't feel all that pressure to be a perfect Alpha all the time.” 

“Exactly.” Pepper poured more oil into the palm of her hand. “No expectations, no pressure on you. Just lie here and let us take care of you, Tony. It's just as important for us as it is for you.” 

Tony let out a slow breath and nodded, and tried to stop overthinking it all. 

It really  _ was  _ relaxing being with them-- the firm touch on his wings, the air scenting like oil, the way the women talked about random things like nail polish, and the purse Pepper had gotten and Natasha’s new boots. The room was warm, and Peppers thighs were soft and smooth beneath his head and Tony was drowsy, his limbs heavy and eyes closed as they pampered him.  

When Natasha reached the feathers closest to his shoulders, she straddled his waist, pressing his body further into the bed, and that warm thread of arousal that had been settled low in Tony's stomach seemed to spark and he cringed away from the feeling, tried to shove it away. 

It had been months since he had  _ wanted  _ at all, and he didn't want to ruin this soft moment between the three of them by asking for  _ more _ , or having his body betray him or---

“Relax.” Tasha’s voice, low in his ear, and she settled a little firmer against him, the curve of her breasts brushing his back as she leaned close. “It's fine.” 

“Tasha.” he tried to swallow a groan when she rolled her hips into him. “Um, I need a break-- we should stop for a minute--.” 

“Talk to us.” Pepper coaxed, massaging over his temples. “What are you thinking about?” 

_ How good Tasha feels rubbing against me. Cold water torture. How long has it been since I jerked off? The crushing silence of that hole they stuffed me. How much my chest hurts every day of the fucking week. I'm so worried about my Omegas I might be sick. God please don't stop touching me, I can't believe I need--- _

Tony didn't say any of those things--“Well, I feel like I understand why you girls insist on Spa trips.” He laughed off his other, darker thoughts. “I get it now.”

“Oh, Tony it’s so good to hear you laugh.” Pepper laughed with him. “We’ve  _ missed  _ you.”

“I’ve missed you too.” Tony propped himself up on his elbow and motioned her forward so he could dot a kiss on her cheek. “I miss the whole family. Some days it seems like I get lost in my head, like I’m so focused on what I’m doing I can't escape, or maybe I'm not focused at all and that's the problem. Maybe it’s that I can’t get my mind right after everything? I don’t know. I’m just—“ he shrugged helplessly, and Pepper eased him back down against her lap. “I don't know how to get from where I am to where I want to be.” he admitted. “That’s why I've been staying away from the family.” 

“Sometimes after a mission…” Nat reached for more oil and started working it into his skin, over some of the scars left from Afghanistan that crossed his back. “I can’t get out of my mind. It’s like this whole other headspace that I can't get out of. I can’t concentrate. Or the reverse happens and I’ll latch onto one particular thing and obsess over it. And it can be something completely unnecessary, like cleaning or painting or making the perfect cup of tea.” Gentle fingers over the raised scars and Tony tried to focus on her calming voice, and not the  _ panic,disgust,anxious _ that welled up in him at having so much of his skin showing. 

“Don't.” Pepper whispered. “Don't do that, Tony, your scars aren't ugly. Don't think that they are.” 

“Do you know what you I do when I can't get out of my head?” Natasha lifted off of him and patted at his hip so he would turn over. “I call my Alpha, and make him distract me.” 

“Good  _ Christ _ .” Tony wished he had thought to close his eyes as he rolled over, but was also entirely glad he hadn't, because Natasha had ditched the silky chemise she had been wearing before and sat in just a lace bralette, matching shortie shorts resting high on the curve of her ass. “ _ Tasha-- _ ” 

“Hi.” she winked at him. “Do you like it? You bought them for me a few days before you left for Afghanistan and I never got to wear them for you.” 

Tony’s whole body jerked when her hand started trailing south, over Tony's ribs and stomach, following the trail of dark curls that started at his navel and disappeared below his belt, rubbing oil in with firm strokes before moving back up his chest.

“Tasha—“ Tony clenched his teeth and willed his body not to react. “We should probably---”

“You’re absolutely right.” She leaned close and whispered, flicking her tongue out against his ear, then blowing softly over the damp spot. “We should probably keep going, shouldn't we?” 

More oil, rapidly warming against Tony's skin as she moved lower again, lingering this time, dipping her fingers under his waistband, barely there pressure skating over the zip on his jeans. 

Nat—“ Tony tried again to keep some kind of control, to give her a chance to stop if this wasn't really what she wanted. “Nat, honey, you’re  _ killing  _ me, so why don't we--“

“Mmm.” Tasha purred against his throat, stretching out alongside him and rubbing her barely clad body against his side. “Alpha, are you turning me down? I give great massages, don't you know? And I guarantee this one has a happy ending.” 

“ _ Shit _ .” Tony’s back arched when her nails scratched over his stomach, and Pepper murmured something soothing, tugging lightly at his hair. “Pepper-- Pepper I don't want you to-- are you okay with--”

“I'm fine.” she assured him. “Just because this isn't usually my thing doesn't mean I have a problem being here with you and Nat. Tony, honey, just let us take care of you.” 

“I--I--” Tony couldn't help the heat that rushed through him when Natasha started undoing his jeans. “I--Nat-- Oh  _ shit _ .”

“Tell me what you want Alpha.” She whispered, opening his pants and wrapping her oil slicked hand around his length, stroking slowly but firmly. “If you don't want this, if you aren't in the right place mentally for it then I'll stop. I know an orgasm isn't going to solve anything, but it will bring you some  _ physical  _ relief, and get you out of your head for a few minutes and---”

“ _ Please _ don't stop.” Tony blurted, not able to care that it sounded like begging. He pushed up into her palm, shuddering when she tightened around him. Nat leaned up on an elbow to kiss him thoroughly, using her tongue lazily in his mouth as Pepper stroked over his cheekbones and down his neck, shifting beneath him so his head rested on her chest and he was surrounded by her sweet scent, framed in by pink wings, Tasha’s snow white wings rising above her shoulders to nearly block out everything else in the room except for the three of them.

“Lay back and let us take care of you, Alpha.” Natasha licked her lips suggestively and Tony couldn't do much more then lay back and give himself up to their hands. 

********************

********************

“Tony.” Natasha took a long drink of wine and stretched back out next to the Alpha, cuddling into his wings and smiling when Tony groaned. “Are you still with us?” 

“I think you broke him, Nat. What are we going to tell the rest of the family?” Pepper was teasing, and Tony smiled without opening his eyes. 

“Tell them I died a happy man.” he made a lazy gesture with his hand and when Natasha curled closer to his side, he held her tight. “ _ Thank you _ . I didn't think I needed that but apparently I did, seeing as how I'm basically comatose and slurring my words."

“And thank you--” he tilted his head back to look up at Pepper. “I know this isn't your thing but I'm glad you were here with me.” 

Pepper stroked gentle fingers over his forehead. “I'd do anything for you, Tony. That includes holding you while Natasha does absolutely ridiculous things with that mouth of hers.” 

Tony burst out laughing when Natasha wiggled her eyebrows mischievously. “I've never appreciated your mouth more.” he promised and coaxed her up for a kiss.  

“Yeah well.” Tasha smirked at him. “It's amazing what a good orgasm can do for you, hm? I'm just glad you didn't run away screaming when I touched you.” 

“I know I've been hiding away from you.” Tony sobered up. “I'm sorry. I've been a little-- or a lot-- withdrawn and angry about so many things and I'm sorry about that.” 

“Withdrawn? We haven't seen you in  _ days _ . You haven't left the lab in a  _ week _ .” Pepper’s voice had a sad edge to it. “Stop shutting us out, Tony. It hurts.” 

“You don't have to be sorry for being angry, Tony.” Nat countered. “But I wish you would be angry with us, or even  _ at  _ us, instead of locking yourself away.” 

“I'm  _ not  _ angry at you.” Tony sat up, holding onto his still open pants with one hand, turning so he could see both of them. “Why would you think I was angry at you guys? At the family?” 

“Why else would you be avoiding us?” Pepper brushed her fingers over his jaw. “I know what happened with you and Bucky and Steve, but they aren't talking about it. It's not like you to take your anger out on the family, but what else are we supposed to think when the only person you are willing to see lately is Rhodes? You’ve even shut Bruce out, and he doesn't know why.”  

“Is that what everyone thinks? That I'm angry with you? Or with Bucky and Steve and that's why Im--” Tony closed his eyes in frustration. “I have the worst coping skills in the world, and this isn't easy, but I don't want you guys to think I'm angry with you. Not ever. Not my family, I love you.” 

“Yeah?” Natasha raised an eyebrow, looking entirely enticing in nothing but lace, but absolutely  _ terrifying  _ with that glint in her eye. “Have you talked to your Omegas? Bucky was a screaming hysterical  _ mess  _ for an entire night, and Steve wasn't much better. I don't think Clint has eaten in three or four days, and Sam is practically a zombie trying to keep the three of them together without falling apart himself.”

“Nat.” Pepper scolded lightly. “Don't berate him. That's not what this is about. We are trying to help--”

“No she’s right.” Tony chewed at his lip. “I'm sorry. I-- I am  _ failing  _ you guys. I'm sorry.” 

“You aren’t  _ failing  _ us. I can't imagine how bad your nightmares are. I don't know what goes through your mind when you try to fall asleep at night. I am fairly certain I know what you are doing in your lab, but I can't imagine how hard it is to do all that alone.” Tasha leaned in and kissed him longingly. “Coping at your own pace doesn't mean you are failing anyone. But we miss you, Alpha. Come back to us soon.” 

Pepper kissed him as well, not nearly as heated, just a sweet touch to his lips. “We do miss you Tony. All of us. You came home, but it doesn't really feel like you  _ came home,  _ you know?” 

“Yeah.” Tony nodded miserably. “Yeah. I know exactly what you mean.” 

 

**********************

**********************

“Bucky?” Sam looked up in alarm when Bucky walked through the living room in full combat gear. “Where are you-- are you going out on another thing for SHIELD again?” 

“Are you leaving?” Clint sat up. “Bucky, baby you literally just got home. Don't leave--”

“Hey.” Steve was right behind Bucky, dressed in his stealth suit. “SHIELD asked for some help with an bigger op in Africa. We are both heading out.” 

“What?!” Clint pushed Sam’s wings off of him and jumped to his feet, his own wings flaring out in distress. “You  _ both _ are leaving?” 

“Steve---” Sam groaned and shook his head. “No. You guys can't just up and walk away like this. Tony won't understand where--” 

“I need a break.” Steve interrupted. “ _ We _ need a break and at least out there working, we don't have to sit here and wait around for Tony to decide if he ever wants to see us again.” 

“You know he will get better.” Clint argued. “You can't just give up on him! How long did it take for Bucky to even be in the _ same room  _ as Tony back when he first came home?” 

Bucky looked away then, his black wings dropping, the metal edges  _ tsinging  _ across the floor, and Steve muttered something to him that Clint and Sam didn't hear. 

“Bucky?” Clint pressed. “Remember? Tony avoided the common areas, skipped family dinners, left the room if that's what you needed? And you guys are just gonna leave? Not even going to give him a chance to--”

“This is different, Clint.” Bucky shook his head. “I did-- What I did, I mean. What Tony had to see me do? This is so much worse then me avoiding him because I was wary of Alphas in general. I don't know how this can ever be fixed and I can't sit here and--” he looked down at his left hand, clenching and unclenching it. “I don't know how to fix this, and I might be too afraid to try.” 

“It would be  _ fixed  _ if you are here to help  _ fix  _ it!” Clint yelled, and Sam slid his arms around Clints waist, bringing him back against his chest. “No! They shouldn't be able to leave. I am fucking  _ tired  _ of this!” 

“Everyone has to cope in their own way.” Sam whispered in his ear. “Sweetheart, we all have to cope the best way we can.” 

Clint broke away from Sam’s hold, and brought his wings around to shield himself. “We are supposed to cope as a  _ family _ . Tony is locking himself away, you guys are running away with SHIELD-- we need to be together as a family or none of us are going to survive this!” 

“Hey, hey.” Steve left Bucky's side and came to Clint, trying to push the dark wings aside to get his arms around the other Omega. “Clint, we are coming home. We will. Just a little space, alright? Some space and a distraction and when we come home, I promise we can start working on all of this.” 

“Right.” Clint pushed away from him. “Because being on different continents for an undetermined amount of time will solve this. I can't believe this. It's like you and Bucky against the rest of us and--”

“No no no.” It was Bucky who interrupted then. “No, Clint that's not it. We aren't trying to split up the family or--”

“ _ Then why are you leaving _ ?!” Clint stomped out of the room, slamming the door as he went and Bucky and Steve flinched at the noise. 

“I have to say I agree with him.” Sam said quietly. “You  _ shouldn't  _ be leaving. But it's not my place to tell you to stay. We all are dealing with this differently, and even though Clint is taking it harder than I thought he would, you two have every right to take whatever time you need. Be careful.” He gave Steve a quick hug, and coaxed Bucky’s chin up to lay a gentle kiss on his lips. “Be careful and  _ please  _ come home. Keep in contact if you can.” 

“We will.” Steve promised. “If Tony asks…just let him know, alright?” 

“I will.” 

Sam watched them leave, and tried not to feel like his family was collapsing around him. 


	14. Chapter 14

The Iron Man nearly died, and the new stations couldn't cover it enough. 

A chopper full of soldiers had gone down, it's tail end blown off by a rocket or a missile or a lucky shot from some jerk with a gun-- no one knew, and honestly no one cared  _ why  _ the helicopter had gone done carrying six soldiers. 

All they cared about was that it hadn't  _ actually  _ gone down. 

The chopper was plummeting to the earth, screaming  _ may day may day _ , soldiers scrambling to hold onto something--  _ anything-- _ praying for salvation, for mercy, for the families they were going to leave behind--

And then a sonic boom and a red tinted flash, or maybe it was a red tinted flash and  _ then  _ a boom, and the Iron Man had appeared from seemingly no where, coming up under the chopper and throwing the full power of it's repulsors into slowing the choppers descent. 

The soldiers had lived, every one of them with nothing worse than a bruise and a scrape to show for their adventure, but the repulsors on the Iron suit went out at the last minute and it took the full weight of the chopper smashing it into the desert floor. 

By the time more military personnel got there to help-- and probably to capture the suit-- it had powered back on and blasted away into the sky, wobbling and sputtering but still going too fast for the base to scramble jets to intercept it. 

But everyone knew the robot, or suit, or  _ whatever  _ it was-- almost died being crushed under that helicopter. 

Sam knew it too, so he was sitting in the lab waiting for Tony when the Iron Man suit came in for a landing through a secret passage that opened up on the far side of the garage. 

He sat and waited patiently as the suit seemed to dismantle itself, robot arms from the ceiling pulling various pieces off, the boots locking into a platform and opening up panel by panel until Tony could step out of them and stumble down the stairs to collapse in a chair, holding onto his chest. 

“Tony.” Sam spoke from the dark corner and Tony jumped, his wings opening in alarm and then closing just as quickly. “Are you alright?” 

“I'm fine.” Tony said warily. “Just a little sore.” 

“Mmhmm. And were you ever going to tell us about this?” Sam motioned to the now blank spot where the suit had disassembled and lowered into the floor. “About whatever the hell this is?” 

“Eventually.” Apparently satisfied that Sam wasn't going to yell at him, Tony pulled up a hologram of a different suit, inputting information from this last mission in to tweak a few details about the armor. 

“You’re building  _ another  _ one?” 

“Yeah. Yeah I am.” Tony was typing rapidly. “Gotta improve, Sam. Gotta make this better. Obviously there are a few design flaws. Repulsors should have been able to handle that weight no problem. I don't know what happened. Design flaw. Gotta fix that.” 

“A few design flaws? Tony, you almost  _ died  _ today! A helicopter  _ landed  _ on you! We had to watch that on TV! Live coverage, knowing it was our Alpha that may or may not make it out of there!” 

_ There  _ was the anger, Sam’s voice rising a few notches as he stood, carrying over a few ice packs he had brought down from the kitchen. “This has to stop, Tony. What the hell are you doing?” 

“What the hell am I doing?” Tony repeated, grabbing the ice packs and holding one to the bruise on his shoulder. “I am making sure I am never helpless another day in my life.” 

Sam opened his mouth to yell again, but then he stopped and nodded slowly. “Okay, okay Tony. Why don't you tell me what you mean by that.” he pulled a chair up and put the other ice pack on Tony's back, holding it still while rubbing one hand up and down Tony's arm comfortingly. “Make me understand, alright? 

Tony relaxed a fraction when Sam didn't snap at him, when the  _ anger  _ rolling off the Beta turned into something calmer. “Sam.” he licked at his lips. “Sam, I couldn't help myself when I was in the cave, you know? Anyone of you guys would have made it out of there, but it took me  _ three months _ to even get close to an  _ idea  _ of how to get out of there. I want to be angry at Bucky or at Rhodey for taking so long to find me, but the fact is, I couldn't help myself, so what else could I do except wait on someone else to rescue me?” 

“I don't agree with that at all.” Sam said quietly. “But keep talking to me.” 

“I feel like--” Tony looked down at his hands. “I feel like I was just living in this bubble. My family is made up of some of the most dangerous people in the world, and I called myself  _ Alpha  _ when all I really am is your landlord and your tech guy.”   


“God, where do I  _ begin  _ to tell you what's wrong with that idea?” Sam sounded upset, but he still motioned for Tony to keep talking. “Don't stop now, alright? Tell me what you are thinking.” 

“I'm thinking that now that I have my suit, none of things will ever be true again. I'm not the weakest person in the family, I'm not an Alpha playing house when I don't deserve the title. In my suit, I'm the Alpha the team needs, and the Alpha this family  _ deserves _ .” 

“What about when the suit comes off?” 

“I don't-- I don't know.” Tony shrugged. “I don't really want to think about-- Sam I don't know if I--” 

“Hey.” Sam dropped the ice pack and turned Tony's chair until the Alpha was facing him. “Tony. You were  _ always  _ the Alpha we needed. You are  _ lying  _ to yourself if you think any one in this family would have survived without you here for us.”

“Right.” Tony snorted and tried to pull away but Sam cupped his jaw firmly. 

“When Nat and Pepper were with you the other day, did you feel like you needed your suit to be there with them? Did you think you had to be armored up? Like you had to hide behind something?” 

“Well no but--”

“That's because you  _ don't _ .” Sam’s wings opened, covering Tony in a soft blanket of red. “You don't have to hide. You don't have be in a suit to be our Alpha, to be the one we want. But if you need this-- if you need to be a more active part of the team, if you want to lead us out on the field just like you do at home then by all means--” he gestured towards the hologram of the new suit. “By all means make that suit perfect. I'll fly into battle behind you every damn time, Alpha.” 

“I get it, in a way. You’re the only one of us besides Pepper who doesn't have something enhanced to keep us safe, and honestly Pepper is so terrifying when she glares, I don't think she needs anything else.” Sam chuckled, and Tony smiled with him. “I mean, Nat is lethal, Clint is a crack shot, Cap is--well you know. And Bucky? Even his feathers are literal weapons. I have my suit, Banner has the Hulk-- and you don't have anything. I understand why you feel like you need the suit.” 

“Really?” Tony hated that he wanted to cry,  _ god  _ he was so tired of crying, but he hadn't expected this from the Beta. He had expected anger, and maybe disappointment, but not…understanding. Not the outright acceptance. Not the way Sam was smiling into his eyes, looking like he loved Tony just as much now as he ever had. 

“Yeah, Tony, I do. But you have  _ got  _ to realize, that you don't need the suit to be our Alpha. You are Tony Stark whether you are flying that thing or not.” 

“You’re really okay with all this?” Tony asked again. “With the suits and the--” he tapped his arc reactor and Sam put a hand over the cool metal. 

“Of course I am. We all are, or we all  _ would  _ be anyway, if you just talked to us. You’re trying to go through this alone, pushing us away when all we want to do is understand what you’re going through. We’re a family Tony. You’re  _ our  _ Alpha, and the team, the  _ family  _ will follow you anywhere.” 

“Oh.” Tony blinked at him a few times. “I-- I love you, Sam.” 

“I love you too, Tony.” Sam leaned in and kissed his cheek, nuzzling into his neck and Tony sagged against him gratefully. “Can I stay down here with you for a little bit?” 

“I would just… I would just love that. Please stay with me.”

“As long as you want, Alpha.”  

*****************

****************

Bruce peeked his head into the lab an hour or so later to check on Tony, and saw the Alpha sat firmly on Sam’s lap, head bent over his tablet, frowning as he tried to work something out. 

The Beta was trailing fingers through Tony's multi colored wings, scratching down Tony's back, and urging him closer for short kisses every few minutes. 

Bruce smiled to himself and left them in peace.

“Thank you for letting me know, JARVIS.” He said to the ceiling. “It's good to see him opening up.”

“You are very welcome, Doctor Banner.” the AI replied.

******************

******************

“JARVIS.” Tony raised his voice. “Send everything you’ve discovered about Obadiah Stane to this tablet, please, including everything about the serum?” 

“Who is Obadiah Stane?” Sam asked, his thumb rubbing slow circles on Tony’s legs. “How do you know him?” He pushed his nose into the Alpha’s neck and hummed quietly, smiling when Tony leaned back into it. 

“Obadiah Stane. I  _ think  _ he was the one who held me in Afghanistan.” 

“He  _ what _ ?” Sam straightened. “How do you know that? Why do you think that? Where did you find his name?” 

“Steve told me that he had come across the video of the Winter Soldier--” Tony coughed and Sam squeezed him sympathetically. “In some files from the SHIELD data dump Natasha did a few years ago? So I figured it must have been in the HYDRA side of the files, and when I went looking for it, retracing Steve’s steps to find the video, I came across that name. It's just been a shitty few weeks, so I didn't put any more thought into that name until recently.” 

“Do you know him?” 

“Well.” Tony’s laugh sounded bitter. “I knew him as  _ Uncle Obie _ up until I was about nine years old. He worked with my dad for a long time and then one day… one day he was just gone. I was young, so I didn't really think about it.” 

“And how did you figure he was the one in the cave?” 

“I feel like I recognized his voice. It's very distinct. Deep and slow and has this disconcerting way of sounding like he is joking when he might be deadly serious. I remember never knowing if Uncle Obie was teasing me or not, and it made me uneasy, as a kid. And you know, he just… he knew a  _ lot  _ about my family. Told me I looked like my mom. Said he was surprised when he heard I presented as an Alpha. Asked me if dad had pumped me full of something  _ else  _ to turn me into an Alpha.”

“Wait.” Sam shook his head. “What do you mean, something  _ else _ ? What were you given initially?” 

“That's my question exactly.” Tony pulled up a diagram on his tablet. “It's been bothering me ever since he said it, so I had JARVIS look up some information on him for me, digging through old sealed files to figure out exactly what happened to him.” 

“So what happened?” Sam tucked Tony a little closer to his chest. “Did you figure it out?” 

“Yeah, it turns out that dear old Uncle Obie was fired from Stark Industries for illegal human experimentation involving unsanctioned medications with potentially fatal side effects.” Tony stared down at his screen. “Dad fired him, and had him charged, but after six months, the charges were dropped and Stane dropped off the map. No one has heard from him since. Nothing on any alias, or anything that looks like him at all. 

“Back up. Illegal human experimentation? On who?” Then Sam shook his head. “Oh no, no Tony. He experimented on  _ you _ ?” 

“Yep. Stane stuck me with a needle right around my ninth birthday. Nice of him, hm? Just loaded a syringe with a prototype and jabbed it into my thigh. Worst birthday present ever.” 

“So what did you inject you with?” Sam asked worriedly. “Do you even know?” 

“I had JARVIS run some tests on my blood.” Tony showed Sam the chart. “And he found something pretty interesting. I can't believe it never came up in a blood test before, but I guess it's not like standard blood tests show anything more than my blood type and my Alpha-gender, huh?” 

“I recognize this compound.” Sam pointed to a list of chemicals. “Why do I recognize it?” 

“Because it is the basic building blocks of the same super soldier serum that turned sweet, scrappy, ninety pound Steve Rogers into the Star Spangled Ass Kicking All American Hero that he is today.” Tony tapped on the screen. “And it is  _ everywhere  _ in me.” 

“Jesus Christ.” Sam was stunned into silence for a full minute and Tony just waited for him to make the connections. “Jesus  _ Christ _ , Tony, you got shot full of super serum? What does this mean? If you were that young, why didn't it tear your body apart with a transformation? Why aren't you huge like Cap is? Or Bucky? I don't-- I don't--” Sam was scrambling to make sense of it. “How the  _ hell  _ did this happen?” 

“Best I can tell from some of dad’s old research-- he was trying to refine the serum into something like a super vitamin. Not really for like… normal people, but for kids with illnesses that would stunt their growth, adults with chronic pain, that sort of thing.” Tony shrugged. “It was a noble endeavor, but not one that he could perfect enough to make it safe.” 

“Were you sick as a kid?”  

“Nope. Healthy as hell. Seems like Obie maybe just wanted to see if it would work on a healthy kid. Probably so he could sell it as a steroid. So he jabbed me with it, Dad found out and lost his mind. But when nothing happened to me for six months, he just moved on. Scrapped the program and went back to building bombs. And instead of charging Stane and calling media attention to what he was working, Dad let him go because I was fine. No harm, no foul.” 

“So what does this mean for you?” Sam questioned. “It didn't affect you presenting as an Alpha, right? If anything, I would think it nearly stopped you from presenting as an Alpha. You aren't huge like Cap is, you are actually a little on the small end of Alpha’s in general. You obviously age. I mean, Cap is stuck looking like he is in his late twenties, but you are mid thirties and--” 

“I'm forty two.” Tony said with a small smile. “But thank you. And thank for calling attention to my size, really appreciate that.” 

“--alright, forty two.” Sam kissed his cheek. “And you’re the perfect size for my arms, Tony, which is all that matters. So how has the serum affected you, if it did anything at all?” 

“Well.” Tony tapped his chest. “What are the odds I would survive not only a shrapnel blast, but having a battery hooked to my chest, and then an arc reactor? I'm not even sure Cap would have survived that. So what if I was too young when Stane injected me, and instead of changing me physically it sort of… altered my immune system? I still bruise like a bitch, but I can't tell you the last time I was sick. How did I survive Afghanistan and building a reactor in a dirty cave without getting an infection? Or gangrene or something equally horrifying?”

“So what?” Sam ran a hand around Tony's waist and up his ribs to settle over the arc reactor. “You only survived because of the injection? Do you think Stane  _ knew  _ you would survive? Why he switched from having them torture your body to showing you the-- to trying to torture your mind?” 

“I--” Tony took a deep breath. “It would make sense. Break my mind, not my body?” 

“Shhh.” Sam hushed him. “You’re not broken though, are you? Just hurt.”  

They were silent for a while, and Tony put his tablet away, closing his eyes and letting himself relax into Sam’s arms. “I've missed you know.” 

“I've missed you too, Tony. We all have. Steve and Bucky especially. You’ve got to fix that. You know I believe in letting everyone cope how they need to, and taking the time to heal yourself before trying to heal everyone else, but enough is enough, Tony.” 

“I know. I know I have to talk to them, to both of them. I will.” Tony promised. “I'll talk to them as soon as they are home. I can't say I'm happy that they left, but I understand. I am hiding away here doing what I do best and designing ridiculous tech. They are doing what they do best-- being soldiers. I get it.”

“Yeah, well you and the soldiers might be dealing in your own way, and Nat and Pepper have each other, and I don't know who Bruce talks to, but every time I’ve talked to him, he’s been… fine.”

“Bruce is a rock.” Tony nodded. “The strongest out of all of us. And I pretty much cried my body weight in tears those first few nights and he stayed with me during, so maybe he isn’t as concerned about me going off the deep end.”

“Well then. You need to make up with Clint  _ now _ .” Sam said firmly. “I know you and Bruce are fine, and you and the girls have made up and spent time together.  _ Please _ spend some time with him. He needs you, Tony, needs his Alpha. Don't put him through losing another one. That  _ will  _ break him.”

“Damn it.” Tony shook his head. “I never meant to hurt you guys. I was just dealing with all this the only way I thought I could, and I ended up--” 

“Don't do that.” Sam interrupted. “No one is blaming you for reacting this way, Tony. You don't have to  _ apologize  _ for not coping well. Just take the steps to make it right, huh? Reconnect with the people who love you, open up solid lines of communication, move forward with your healing.”  

“You’re such a good counselor.” Tony teased. “Should I pay you for this session?” 

“Why don't you just kiss me instead?” 


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I will honestly say I love this chapter.   
> Ironhawk feels and smutty smut for the win.   
> I love it so much.

“Pepper said you were looking for me.” 

Clints voice broke into Tony’s concentration, and he looked up from tweaking an arm plate on his suit, frowning when he saw the Omega looking completely uncomfortable and awkward in his doorway. 

“I- um. Yeah, yeah, I was. But like… on  _ Tuesday _ .” Tony tilted his head. “Where have you been?”

“I don't think that matters.” Clint ran a hand over his face and groaned. “What did you need?”  

“You look tired.” Tony felt uneasy even  _ talking  _ to Clint, not sure of what to say what to say after… everything. But Rhodey had told him to just hold his family, and Sam had adamant that he reach out to Clint first-- so he had waited for the past two days for Clint to come home, asking Pepper to please send him down if she saw him, and now Tony didn't know what to do. “Are you-- are you sleeping alright?” 

“Am I  _ sleeping  _ alright?” Clint repeated, and folded his arms, leaning against the door jam. “Let’s see, my Alpha goes missing, kidnapped in some god forsaken desert. Then it takes us three months to find him. Once we  _ do  _ find him, he spends almost a whole week locked up in his lab refusing to see me or anyone else, until finally sitting us all down and telling us a fucking horror story about being tortured and having a goddamn battery in his chest. And  _ then-- _ ” Clints eyes flashed angrily even though his exhausted posture never changed. 

“And  _ then _ , I have to spend a whole night comforting a hysterical Bucky, who made himself sick crying over something that happened between you two. And then, oh look, my Alpha is locking himself up in his lab again for weeks, except this time not even Bruce is allowed in there, and crazy shit is happening with some suit that I know is you. We  _ all know _ it's you, but it's just one more thing you are keeping  _ me  _ out of. Then Steve and Bucky leave and all the sudden I'm sleeping alone in a big ass bed that I usually share with two big ass soldiers, and wondering where they are and if they are safe and basically panicking because my fucking  _ family  _ is falling apart. Do I  _ seem  _ like I am sleeping well?” 

“Damn it.” Tony closed his eyes briefly. “Clint, I am so sorry---”

“Shut up.” Clint jabbed a finger towards the couch. “Couch. Sit.  _ Now _ .” 

“Are you sure?” Tony held his breath, because all he wanted to do was hold Clint, but it seemed too easy that the Omega wanted that too.

“Look.” Clint crossed the room and waited impatiently by the sofa. “I have waited  _ months  _ to see you again, and now you’ve been home for  _ weeks _ , and I have yet to even touch you. So sit down and shut up and just fucking hold me, alright? I need it, I don't give a damn if  _ you  _ need it or not, but you need to get your Alpha ass over here anyway. You are my Alpha and I need you so hurry it up.” 

Clint might have been demanding, but his eyes were filled with tears and his hands were trembling, so Tony sat, slouching back against the couch and opening his arms for the Omega. 

Clint reached into his back pocket and got his collar out, stripping off his shirt before tying the leather around his neck, and sliding onto Tony's lap and tucking his head under the Alphas chin. 

Tony's arms went around Clint’s waist before he could help himself, more habit than anything, and the Omega leaned against his chest, pressing as close as he could get and moaning low in his throat. 

_ God he had missed this. _

There was a certain type of comfort between an Alpha and an Omega that wasn't found in any other pair, a certain bond that sparked as soon as they touched, and Tony thought he would drown in the amount of emotion tumbling from the Omega, from the sheer amount of  _ perfect  _ there was between them. 

He hadn't realized how badly he needed to be touched, needed to be held by his Omega until right now and  _ fuck  _ it was so good. 

“Clint.” Tony felt like he was crumbling, like every bit of his self control was failing him. “Oh _sweetheart---_ ” Tony lifted Clint’s chin and buried his face in the crook of Clints neck, breathing in deep, sliding his nose and then his mouth up and down the Omega’s throat. “You smell so good. I've _missed_ you, didn't realize how much I missed you. Oh Clint, honey, you smell so good.” 

He could stay right here for  _ hours _ , surrounded by his Omega’s scent. Tony had been so distracted with his reactor and then everything with Bucky and then his suit that he had been neglecting this very basic part of his biology- needing to be close to the Omega he loved.

Rhodey had been right. Sometimes being held was all it took. 

“Alpha.” Clints voice was little more than a whimper, his fingers tight on Tony's shirt. “Why did you stay away? Don't you want us anymore?”  _ Anxious,lonely,afraid _ spilled into the Omega’s scent and Tony reacted to it instantly, closing his eyes and running his hands up and down Clints back, through thick feathers and over broad shoulders and back down to his waist. 

“It's not your fault.” he murmured. “Not your fault, Omega, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I haven't been there for you. I'm sorry I haven't been a good Alpha for you, beautiful Omega, I'm so sorry. I'm never leaving you again. Never leaving you again.”

“Missed you.” Clint muttered and Tony bit lightly over the collar on his neck, just enough for the Omega to feel the pressure of his teeth.  

“Will you stay with me?” he whispered. “Just for a little bit, sweet Omega, I didn't know how badly I needed to hold you. Stay with me. I don't know what to say or do to fix this, but please stay with me for a little bit.” 

“You have to fix what happened between you and Bucky and Steve.” Clint pulled away enough to meet his eyes. “You  _ have  _ to. Promise me. As soon as they get home. I can't handle the family being torn up like this.”

“I promise.” Tony nodded and Clint touched their foreheads together. “I promise I'll fix it. I'm sorry. I've been the worst Alpha, I've been just--” 

“Shhh.” Clint shook his head. “It's not fine, but it  _ will  _ be fine, as long as you come back to us, alright? I’ve already lost one Alpha, Tony. Don't take another one from me.” 

“I'm never leaving you again.” Tony shifted and lifted his wings, wincing when they wouldn’t open like he wanted them to, but Clint grabbed them carefully and helped him stretch the out before settling around him, and he lay back down on Tony's chest in a warm circle of feathers, a contented smile on his face. 

“I'm sorry I hurt you.” Tony whispered, holding the Omega closer to him. “But I promise I’ll get better. My sweet Omega, I'm so sorry I haven't been there for you, but I am now.” 

“Don't leave me.” Clint whispered and slipped his hands under Tony's shirt to touch warm skin. “Alpha please don't leave me.” 

“Sleep, honey.” Tony petted through Clints hair and through the feathers on his shoulders. “Sleep and I'll be here when you wake up, I promise. I'm never leaving you again.” 

Clint was asleep within minutes, resting in his Alpha’s arms, and Tony put his head back on the couch, letting tears track down his cheeks and fall into the Omega’s hair. 

“JARVIS, put the suit away and dim the lights.” he said quietly. “My Omega needs some rest.” 

*****************

*****************

Tony didn’t realize he had fallen asleep until he woke up to Clint shifting in his lap, scenting down his neck, purring softly into his ear. 

“Omega.” he whispered and Clint  _ hmmd  _ in approval, settling more firmly against Tony thighs and rolling his hips forward until Tony could feel that he  _ wanted  _ him. Tony slid a hand up Clints back to his hair, tugging gently and the Omega turned his head instantly, baring his neck in an obvious invitation. 

“Oh honey.” Tony kept his voice little more than a whisper, touching his Omega carefully in the nearly dark lab. “I’ve missed you.” he nosed over Clints jaw, back to his ear and huffed a breath into his hair. “I've  _ missed  _ you.” 

“You’ve been an asshole.” Clint spread his hands over Tony's chest, feeling the edge of the reactor carefully. “You definitely need to make that up to me, how are you going to make that up to me?” 

Tony tried not to laugh, but it was  _ just so good _ to have Clint being his usual smart ass self that he swore it healed something inside of him. So he laughed, and Clint grumbled at him and bit his shoulder sharply. 

“I'm serious!” Clint was trying his hardest to sound upset as he burrowed closer into Tony’s arms. “You need to--” then he paused, like he had just thought of something, and tapped on Tony's belt thoughtfully. “Are you okay?” 

“Clint, honey I'm--”

“No, I mean, are you  _ okay _ ?” he emphasized. “I mean, when they hurt you did they  _ hurt  _ you, or are you okay? Because I didn't think that maybe that-- I mean is that why you were staying away from us.” 

“ _ Oh _ . Oh no.” Tony shook his head quickly. “Oh god no. No, Clint, I'm fine. That's not-- I'm fine.” 

“Good.” 

Clint left his lap, and shucked his pants off, and Tony absolutely  _ growled _ when the Omega settled back over him wearing nothing but his leather collar, tucking his head into Tony's neck. 

“Touch me.” Clint ordered and if Tony hadn’t been instantly,  _ painfully  _ hard at the scent of Omega  _ slick,  _ he would have laughed at somehow managing to have three of the most needy, most demanding Omegas possible as  _ his _ —-

But the Alpha was helpless against his Omegas  _ want _ , and not about to tell him no, so he lifted his wings again to cover everything but their shoulders, and ran his hands up Clint’s strong thighs to his waist, stroking his thumbs over jutting hipbones. 

“Are you sure about this?” he asked, bumping their noses together. “It's been a while for us, and if you want to talk, then lets just talk. We don't need to--”

“Actions speak louder than words.” Clint wiggled impatiently, but his voice was hesitant when he added, “I need you, Alpha. I need you to still want me. Life has been really shitty lately and I--”

“Hey.” Tony cupped Clints jaw, then slid his hand around to rest on the back of Clints neck. “Hey, honey, I will  _ always  _ want you.” 

“You know you say that--” Clint shrugged. “--but where have you been? It's understandable that you wanted some space from Bucky, and maybe even Steve but-- but why me? What did I do?” 

“I'm sorry, sweet Omega.” Tony coaxed him in for a kiss. “You didn't do anything. You’re perfect You’re  _ perfect _ . I just having a hard time, but I shouldn't be taking it out on you or anyone else.” 

“I  _ am  _ pretty perfect, aren’t I?” Clint bit at Tony's bottom lip, effectively quieting Tony's laughter, wordlessly asking for  _ more _ , and Tony gave it to him, sitting up to deepen the kiss, sliding his tongue on the seam of Clints mouth and surging inside when the Omega opened for him, licking through every corner to thoroughly taste everything he could. 

“More.” Clint was panting, grasping at his shirt and rocking against Tony insistently, and the Alpha asked one more time, checked just one more time— _ you’re sure, Honey? Sure about us and this? _ — and shifted to touch down where the Omega was warm and  _ slick,  _ using first one and then two fingers when Clint choked out, “Yes, Alpha,  _ please _ .”

Tony tried to slow them down, to keep the moment gentle between them but Clint laughed something about 

_ waiting long enough  _ and reached between them to tear at Tony's pants, crushing their mouths together as he worked over the Alpha’s cock, using his own slick as lube.

“ _ Clint _ .” Tony's head smacked back against the edge of the couch, his wings shaking in an effort to keep from presenting out, three fingers buried between Clint’s thighs and the other hand on the Omegas neck, rubbing over the leather collar, pulling him close for long kisses.

Then Clint lifted up and took every inch of Tony into himself in one abrupt slide, and the Alpha nearly  _ howled. _

“ _ Omega _ .” Tony was scrambling for any kind of control but Clint didn’t even give him a chance to take a breath before he was moving over him, around him, breathy cries every time their hips met.

Tony was barely cognizant enough to remember to help, but he somehow kept his wings around them, fit his hands around Clint’s waist to lift him up and down, spread his legs so he could thrust  _ up _ , ripping a shout from the Omegas throat.

“Harder! _ ” _ Clint order and a growl rumbled through Tony's chest, vibrating between their bodies and adding to the  _ pleasure,lust,take me  _ that filled their scents. “Come on Alpha.” Clint urged. “It’s been a long time but don’t you remember how to make me scr— _ EAM _ !”

A quick burst of Alpha strength and Tony flipped them right over, laying Clint out on the couch and driving back into him with sure, solid strokes, a firm hand on Clint’s hip to keep him still, the other dragging though the Omegas hair.

“Alpha,  _ yes. _ ” All the  _ demanding  _ went out of Clint’s tone and he lay lax and willing beneath Tony, his arms looped around Tony's neck, but otherwise content with the show of dominance.

When Tony kissed him it wasn’t slow and searching like before. Now the Alpha claimed his mouth just like he was claiming his body and Clint— Clint closed his eyes and let himself remember how good it was between his and his Alpha.

“My Alpha.” He murmured and Tony sucked a hard bruise onto his neck, his arm snaking around Clint’s waist when the Omega arched beneath him.

“You’re damn right I’m yours.” Tony rasped, pushing through Clint’s body  _ harder,  _ faster now because  Clint was still whispering, begging for more. “I’m yours, sweetheart, never leaving you again. I’m yours and you’re mine, aren’t you?”

“Prove it.” Clint gasped, turning his head so Tony's mouth fell to his neck. “Prove I’m yours. Take me. Knot me.  _ Bite me. _ ”

Tony's eyes started shading red, his wings opening above his shoulders, his thrusts were nearly brutal and Clint tried to relax, tried to breathe because oh  _ god  _ he had forgotten how big—

“ _ Fuck!”  _ Clint screamed when Tony's knot shoved deep inside him, the Alphas hips still moving in jerky thrusts as he tried to get deeper, then screamed again when the Alpha started stroking him, jacking the Omegas cock roughly until Clint was scratching his nails down Tony's back and begging to come—  _ please please Alpha let me come _ — 

One last stroke, one last  _ push _ and Tony bent low over Clint’s body and snapped his teeth together over the collar, right over the bonding spot and Clint was lost.

Tony was still struggling to get  _ closer _ as Clint spilled into his first and between their bodies, and he broke with a muffled snarl, pulsing inside his Omega until Clint was whining and pushing at his shoulders because he was  _ full _ to the point of being uncomfortable.

Tony just growled, his teeth still buried in Clint’s neck, and the Omega submitted beneath him with a soft whimper.

*********************

*********************

Outside of heat, a knot didn’t get as big or last as long, so it was less than ten minutes before Tony sat up enough to strip off his t shirt and push it beneath Clint’s hips to catch… everything… as he pulled free.

“Well  _ shit.”  _ Clint breathed a laugh and stretched lightly.  _ “Alpha _ .”

“Sweet Omega.” Tony returned, nuzzling close, kissing gently over bruised lips. “I think this is the first time I’ve felt like—“ he shook his head. “Never mind. How are you feeling?”

“Don’t do that.” Clint frowned. “Don’t ruin this by getting all secretive again. Our pants are still off for Chrissakes. At least wait till you're dressed before you start shutting me out.”

“Oh god, no. Clint, no that’s not—“ Tony groaned. “I’m sorry. I just—“ he settled back between Clint’s legs, ignoring the wet shirt and slick drying on their thighs. “I was going to say that this is the first time since coming home that I felt like… myself. Right here with you.” 

“You did say I was perfect.” Clint reminded him, but there were tears in the Omegas blue eyes, so Tony brought his wings around to hide them from view, scratching through the dark brown wings that Clint had kept tucked back for most of their time together.

“You are perfect.” Tony kissed him, and Clint hid his face in the Alphas shoulder. “You know when I was in Afghanistan, Yinsen used to ask about my family. After I was hurt, and he had to bandage me up, he would ask about you guys to keep me conscious. You know what I told him about you?”

Clint made a negative sound.

“I told him that you were feisty and a smart ass, that you made me work for every bit of sweetness you gave me, that you hardly ever got down on your knees for me but when you did…”

“Are you asking for a blowjob when I’m still  _ leak _ —“

“ _ No _ .” Tony laughed and nudged at Clint until he lifted his head for a kiss. “Sweetheart, no. That’s not what I’m asking for. I just wanted you to know that while I was gone I thought about you, that you and the family were always in my thoughts, that I talked about you guys for hours every day. That I only made it through all that because I had to get home to you.”

“Damn it.” Clint looked away and cleared his throat, then pushed their foreheads together in an affectionate gesture. “Every other Alpha in the world would be happy to fuck and call it a day but you have to be—“

“Yeah, I have to be the Alpha that needs to talk before and after and I probably would have talked during if you would have  _ slowed down _ .” Tony stole a quick kiss. “But something’s need to be said.”

“What needs to be said, Alpha?” Clint whispered and Tony put his mouth right up against his Omegas ear.

“I love you, sweet Omega, my Omega. I'll always come home to you.”


	16. Chapter 16

Clint was still wearing his collar the next morning, and Tony couldn’t go more than five minutes without snatching the Omega close and nosing over his face and into his hair, mouthing down his neck to dig his teeth into the thick collar. **  
**

Clint didn’t do much more than lay his head back to encourage his Alpha closer, dragging his fingers through Tony’s feathers and backing up into any available wall or door so Tony could rock against him.

The first batch of pancakes burned because Clint had purred something into Tony’s ear that made the Alphas eyes shoot to red, and when Bruce came running up from the lab to see why the hell the smoke alarms were going off, he found Clint up on the kitchen counter, Tony wedged between his thighs crooning something about  _smart ass_  and  _beautiful_ and  _mine_.

Bruce said a silent prayer of relief that he was basically immune to the pheromones that were no doubt flooding the kitchen, and pushed and poked at Tony until the Alpha laughed and peeled away from Clint, leaving a sweet kiss on his lips and turning to take care of the disaster that was the pancakes.

“Hey.” Sam’s red wings lifted in approval when he came down for food nearly half an hour, taking in the stack of pancakes, pounds of bacon and eggs cooking on the stove. Then his wings lifted further as he watched Tony lean in for a slow kiss with Clint, multi colored wings fluttering in happiness.

“Hey.” he said again, softer this time, and moved to kiss Clints cheek and then Tony’s lips. “You guys had a good night, hm?”

“So good.” Clint’s voice was a little hoarse from screaming half the night but he had a satisfied, lazy grin on his face and Tony rumbled approvingly.

“It really was.” Tony kissed Clint again, then tugged at Sam, bumping their noses together affectionately. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Sam nudged closer, putting one arm around Tony’s waist so the Alpha could keep holding onto Clint.

“For the tough love. For reminding me that it was okay to need my family, and reminding me that they need me too.”

Sam just smiled and squeezed at Tony’s waist. “Anytime, Alpha.”

*******************

“It’s funny isn’t it?” Natasha put a hand gently on Bruce’s shoulder and the scientist moved over on the couch to make room, patting the cushion invitingly.

“What’s that?” Bruce finished off his plate and set it on the table, turning to face her a little more.

“How good it is for Tony to be with one of his Omegas? You have spent time with him, and Rhodes and Sam. I even–” she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “I even gave him some  _relief_ and Pepper and I groomed his wings and even though he was grateful and sweet and satisfied after… look at him now. I know he isn’t all the way okay, and that he still needs to heal but look at how happy he is after an evening with his Omega.”

Bruce looked across the living room where Tony was sprawled halfway on the other couch, rubbing his full belly and laughing at something Sam was saying. Clint was sitting on the floor but his head was resting on Tony’s thigh and the Alpha had a wing and an arm draped over Clint’s shoulder, his hand resting over the Omega’s heart.

Tony looked peaceful and happy and every time Clint shifted beneath his hand, he smiled a little more.

“He keeps looking at the door.” Bruce noted. “He’s waiting for Steve and Bucky to come home. He’s happy but not all the way happy without them.”

“Yeah well.” Natasha sipped at her orange juice. “They need to hurry their asses back. If Tony mates with Clint while they are gone– that’s not something that either of them will handle well.”

“You think?” Bruce sounded surprised. “You think Tony would mate with Clint? I know he and Clint have a special bond, but Steve and Tony have been together for over four years now. And Bucky and Tony– before Afghanistan, I thought those two would have been the first to mate.”

“Maybe.” Nat lifted a slim shoulder in a shrug. “But which one of the Omegas is here with Tony right now when he needs him? Not Steve, and not Bucky.”

“Hm.” Bruce folded his arms and changed the subject. “Where’s Pepper?”

“Oh, once she realized that Tony would be with Clint all night, she took Colonel Rhodes up on his offer of a date.” Natasha sounded impossibly smug. “He is absolutely smitten with her.”

“With good reason.” Bruce added and they sat together for a few minutes more, watching their Alpha laugh out loud as Clint and Sam squabbled about something.

“ _God_ it’s good to hear him laugh.” Natasha’s breath hitched, and Bruce nodded, not commenting on the tear she wiped off her cheek.

************************

************************

Steve came home later that afternoon, coming off the elevator and practically sneaking through the living room, not quite ready to see anyone yet. The family hadn’t taken him and Bucky leaving very well and they  _certainly_ weren’t going to take him coming back alone very well, so he was glad no one was there.

Then he opened the door to the kitchen to get some water before heading upstairs, and was hit with a solid wall of  _content,happy,satisfied_  Alpha and his wings opened entirely out of his control, golden feathers unfurling to try and present and all he could say was– “ _Tony_.”

“Steve.” Tony leaned against the sink, looking anxious. “Um, JARVIS alerted me when you came up the drive. I hope you don’t mind me waiting for you. I thought we should talk and–”

“Alpha.” Steve blurted, and was across the kitchen and pressing himself against Tony’s body, his wings dropping back submissively. “Jesus, you smell so good. Tony–  _Alpha_ –” Steve bared his neck without even thinking about it, reacting to scent of  _happy_ that surrounded his Alpha. It had been so long since Tony had seemed anything except sad and broken and  _god_ it was so good, it was  _so_ –

“Oh.” he backed up a few steps. “I’m sorry. You were saying something about talking? I’m sorry.” Steve shook his head to clear it. “I know that you and I need to talk about a lot of things and I know you are probably angry with me for leaving but–” a deep breath as he tried to gather his thoughts, and the Alpha shook his head against anything else Steve was going to say.

“Can I hold you?” Tony asked instead and Steve was back up against him right away, pushing his nose into Tony’s neck and the Alpha huffed a laugh, sitting up on the counter so his head was actually above Steve’s and gathering the beautiful Omega close against his chest.

“This is better.” Tony sighed and ruffled his fingers through Steve’s hair before trailing through his feathers. “I’ve missed you, Steve. Missed my Omega.”

“ _God_.” Steve choked out and tried to press closer, letting go of Tony’s waist only long enough to help bring the multi-colored wings around his own shoulders.

“Sorry.” Tony apologized, and put his arms back around Steve. “They will get strong enough to do that on their own soon.”

“I don’t care.” Steve’s words were muffled in Tony’s shoulder and he turned his head to encourage the Alpha to scent him, a tremor running through his body as Tony ran first his nose and then his mouth over his neck, nipping at his earlobe and leaving tiny kisses down his jawline.

“What happened?” he asked quietly when Tony coaxed his chin up and bumped their noses together. “Why did you decide to– what happened that you are feeling so much better?”

“Sam.” Tony told him honestly. “And Rhodes. They told me I was hurting you guys by how I was choosing to cope with all this. Said I was hurting you by keeping the family out of my struggles. Reminded me that I don’t have to be strong by myself, because I have this incredible family who would be strong with me if I would let them.”

“Yeah?” Steve waited anxiously for the rest.

“And then I got to spend some time with Clint, you know?” Tony flicked his tongue out to tease along the seam of Steve’s lips. “And I remembered exactly how much I need my Omegas, how much I love you all….” his words trailed off when Steve leaned in for a kiss, just a sweet one, barely a brush of their mouths.

“I’m not okay yet, you know healing doesn’t just happen overnight, but these last few weeks have been so hard and I tried to do it all on my own.” he chuckled. “Why would I try to do it on my own when I have you guys to help me?”

“Do we need to talk about the video?” little more than a whisper and Steve’s fingers tightened in Tony’s shirt. “About me knowing? Tony, I can’t tell you how sorry–”

“We don’t need to talk about it.” Tony interrupted him. “Not ever again, do you understand? I stand by what I said that night. I don’t know if I would have wanted to know, I don’t know if you should have told me, but I  _do_ know that you will always be my Omega, that I will always love you.”

“You’ve been mine for years now, Steve.” Tony stroked gentle fingers over Steve’s jaw. “And you’re gonna be mine forever, right? I’m not going to let something that no one– _no one_ –could control ruin us. Im not saying everything is going to be easy, but we will move past it. All of us will. I promise.” a soft kiss. “I love you.” 

“ _Tony_.” Steve put a big hand over the arc reactor, touching it reverently, then took his Alphas mouth in a rough kiss, shoving his tongue between Tony’s lips and scratching his nails down Tony’s back and the Alpha hissed into it, shivered and moaned against him before biting down sharply on Steve’s bottom lip.

“Settle.” he whispered and Steve went perfectly pliant beneath his hands, folding his wings back and dropping his eyes, only moving to grab his collar out of a pocket and tie it on, before turning his head to expose his neck. “Omega.” Tony growled. “ _Mine_.”

He dug his teeth into the collar, biting down hard until Steve could feel the sting on his skin and the Omega only whined in submission and inched closer. Tony was rucking his shirt up to touch bare skin, sliding his hand along the waistband of Steve’s pants, moaning softly when Steve tried to move into the touch.

“Not here.” Tony unlocked his jaw and lay wet kisses up Steve’s neck. “Not in the kitchen, remember? The whole family agreed not to do this sort of thing here.”

“I don’t care.” Steve shook his head, his eyes still closed, resting his nose in Tony’s neck and inhaling, humming in contentment as he breathed in his Alpha’s scent. “I don’t care. Tony it’s been so long– and it’s been so awful without you and–”

“I know, sweetheart, I’m sorry.” Tony pet gently through the golden feathers on Steve’s shoulders. “I’m sorry I’ve been hiding away, I’m sorry I didn’t let you and the others be there for me like you wanted to be. I love you, you know I do.”

“I love you too.”

They stood in silence together, letting the moment calm, centering themselves in the  _together,love,mine_  that moved between them.

“Is Bucky alright?” Tony asked after several minutes. “I haven’t even seen him since…  _everything_ and I know he has been working with SHIELD, and I hate that so much, but I get it. I know he can’t just sit and wait for me to get my shit together. Tell me– I know he and I need to talk, but tell me how he is.”

“Tony.” Steve cleared his throat and stepped back from the counter, letting the Alpha jump down to the ground. “He um– Fury offered Bucky a full position at SHIELD as an operative.”

“Fury did what?” Tony’s voice filled with anger. “He did  _what_?”

“Bucky took the offer.” Steve watched the color drain from his Alpha’s face. “Tony– Bucky isn’t coming home.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick PSA-- I dont actually hate Fury, he is just a d*ck in this chapter lol 
> 
> Further PSA-- I dont actually hate any character in the MCU, but with different fics, different characters play different roles and in this one Fury is an absolute prick. Any Fury lovers who read this, dont judge me based on that scene lolol

Tony paced in the hallway outside Bucky's room at SHIELD headquarters for a full five minutes before he calmed himself down enough to knock on the door quietly. Steve had given him a key to Bucky's room, but Tony wasn't about to invade Bucky's privacy by using the key, but he was still tempted to shove it up Fury’s ass if the Director so much as glanced in his general vicinity, so he kept it in his pocket anyway. 

So Tony knocked, quickly and firmly but hopefully not too aggressively, and hoped Bucky would open the door. 

“Tony.” Bucky opened the door and stopped in his tracks, black and silver wings lifting around his body to hide himself, metal edges clicking as he shifted anxiously. “What are you doing here?” 

“What are  _ you  _ doing here?” Tony blurted, and then closed his eyes and held up a hand apologetically. “Sorry. Bucky, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you. Um… can we talk?” 

“You want to talk?” Bucky blinked at him and seemed to withdraw into the room a little more. “About what?” 

“Why didn’t you come back with Steve?” Tony asked carefully, feeling awkward just standing in the hall talking, and unable to stop staring at Bucky, at his crystal blue eyes and the scruff that was getting a little too thick, at shoulder length dark hair and all those  _ muscles  _ wrapped in a tight grey t shirt, his left arm held slightly behind his body. 

“I don't want to be there.” Bucky said bluntly, relaxing his posture now that he knew Tony wasn't going to yell at him. “You don't want me there, so I didn't see any reason to stay.” 

“Why would you--?” Tony's voice rose again and he backed up another step, dropping his wings and putting both hands out, palm up, to look an unthreatening, as un  _ Alpha  _ as possible. “Bucky, honey, why would you think I don't want you there? Things have been rough, and admittedly I have been hiding away more than I should, but you belong at  _ home _ . Not here working for  _ Fury _ .” 

A growl threaded his voice on the Beta’s name and Bucky’s eyes sparked curiously. “You don't like Fury.” he stated. 

“I don't like him messing with my family.” The growl came through loud and clear now, and Bucky swallowed as heat rushed up his spine. 

He hadn't been prepared to see Tony, to get a noseful of Alpha pheromones, and not just any Alpha pheromones, but  _ his  _ Alpha-- scenting sharply like  _ anxiety _ , but under that was a base of  _ contentment  _ that Bucky hadn't smelled in so long it was taking most of his self control not to present his wings to the Alpha and beg for a touch, a kiss,  _ anything _ . 

“Why did you leave?” Tony was working to keep his voice calm, and Bucky noted with some surprise that the Alpha wasn't angry, even though he had snarled about Fury. Tony was  _ scared  _ and for whatever reason, that gave Bucky some measure of courage.

So he opened the door wider, and jerked his head so Tony would follow him inside, sitting on the bed and trying to figure out what to say to his Alpha. 

“Why did you leave?” Tony asked again, and he backed up so he was sitting at the desk trying to give Bucky as much space as possible. 

_ He’s such a good Alpha, trying not to crowd me.  _ It was so close to how Tony had acted back at the beginning, with soft words and plenty of space and trying to make Bucky feel as safe as possible that it made Bucky's heart hurt, made him want to whine, but he swallowed it down and looked up to meet Tony’s gaze. 

“You look at me and see death, Tony.” he began quietly, flinching as the Alpha jerked in his seat like he was going to jump up. “You see your parents dying and you see me doing it. I can't-- I can't--” a deep breath. “-- I can't even look at you without wanting to scream because how is it that one mission, one op that shouldn't have meant anything to me, was the moment that ruined my Alpha’s life?” 

“And it's fine that I'm gone.” he continued, motioning to Tony. “Obviously, because you scent like Stevie and Clint and  _ family  _ and you wouldn't even come out of your lab when I was there, so maybe it's better if I'm not around. I can't-- I can't stay at the Tower if me being there is keeping you from the rest of the family. And I can't stay--” he cleared his throat. “I won't stay knowing that you probably hate me for what happened. You said you believed that I didn't know, but that doesn't mean you’re close to forgiving me or anything. I can't stay and live with that. I won't. I feel like it's probably just easier on everyone if I'm not around.” 

“Okay.” Tony chewed at his lip for a minute. “Okay, you know what, maybe there is a better way to say this, or a more diplomatic way, but I'm not Sam so I don't know the right words. So I'm just gonna say that all that? Everything you just said is  _ bullshit _ .” 

It was Bucky's turn to startle as the Alpha jumped to his feet and started pacing, wings twitching in aggravation. 

“It's bullshit!” Tony snapped and tugged his fingers through his hair. “I call bullshit, Bucky. I don't look at you and see  _ death _ , I don't look at you and see my parents--” a hard swallow. “--see my parents dying. I look at you and I see  _ family _ , I see someone who is supposed to be  _ home  _ having movie night with the rest of us, but isn't. I see my Omega who is practically screaming  _ lonely  _ and  _ hurt  _ and  _ scared  _ and won't come home so I can try and fix it!”

“It doesn't feel like home without you, Tony!” Bucky shouted, and then he shook his head and quieted his tone. “It doesn't feel like  _ home _ . You know, we found you in that cave and you pulled away from me. Wouldn't talk to me. Locked yourself away for all those days, and then finally talked to me just to show me that fucking  _ video _ and then I didn't see you again.”

“That doesn't feel like  _ home _ .” Bucky laughed a little, but it wasn't a good sound. “Home is supposed to be where you walk through the kitchen and kiss everyone, and where I can sit in the lab with you and Bruce for hours. And share your bed and--” Bucky closed his eyes. “Home is where you laugh, you  _ always  _ use to laugh and call me pretty and Tony-- this might be the first time you’ve even said my name in I don't know how many weeks and---” 

He spread his hands in a vague gesture and shrugged. “It's not home, Tony. Not without you. I don't want to be there without  _ you _ .” 

Tony watched him for a long time, and then moved to sit on the bed next to the big Omega, clasping his hands in his lap. 

“Bucky, sweetheart, I don't think all of me came home.” he started slowly. “And I don't mean the physical pieces I left in the desert. I mean, I think I lost a part of  _ myself  _ in that cave. And, you know, I can't sleep in my own bed because after weeks of sleeping in a small space, too much room makes me nervous. I get anxious if I leave my lab, sometimes being in the common room with all the windows and people makes me want to scream. Sometimes when I eat, I feel like I have to ration it because there might not be any food tomorrow. And every morning when I wake up, I reach for this damn reactor to make sure there aren't cords connected to it, to make sure I'm not still lying in that cave with a car battery keeping me alive.”

_ Oh _ . Bucky stared at him in puzzlement. “Tony, I didn't know you were struggling with that sort of stuff, why would you say anything?”

“Nobody knows.” Tony said with a quiet smile. “And to be honest, I don't want them to know. Natasha turned the lights out in the kitchen the other day as I was walking in, and the dark threw me right into a panic attack. JARVIS had to call for Bruce to help put me back together. Nobody needs to see that. And I’ve been getting better, but I still struggle, and I don't know if I'll ever  _ not _ struggle. I don't feel like me, I feel like I'm missing something in my soul, something I might never get back.” 

“I used to watch you.” Tony continued. “When Steve first brought you home. I would watch you when you thought no one was paying attention, when we were all together in the living room or something, and you would be staring around at everyone with this lost expression on your face. Just lost and  _ hurting _ , like you were missing huge pieces and didn't know how to get them back. That's how I feel some days, but ever since I started trying to reconnect with the family, things have been better.” 

“Everyone has been telling me that I don't have to go through this on my own, that I don't have to be strong by myself, and it took me long enough, but I've realized they are right.” Tony reached out and lay his hand palm up on his thigh. “I can't get better without my family-- my  _ entire  _ family with me.” 

“Please come home, Bucky. It’s where you belong and I— I need you.”

Tony waited and waited and tried not to let any of his anxiety bleed into his scent, but it felt like minutes, like hours, like  _ forever  _ before Bucky finally took his hand, sliding their palms together and linking their fingers. 

“Thank god.” Tony whispered and brought Bucky's hand to his lips for a kiss. “Oh thank you,  _ thank you _ sweetheart. My Omega, thank you.”

“You called me yours.” Bucky was staring at their clasped hands. “Your Omega.” 

“What else would I call you?” Tony tried to smile, but his eyes were overly bright, and he bit at his lip to keep his emotions in check. “Are you still mine, Bucky? My Omega?” 

“What about-- what about everything else? What about the video and the--” 

“Honey. “Tony squeezed his hand lightly. “Things are still going to be rough for me, and there are going to be bad days, but honey I can promise you-- I can promise you-- that I do not blame you for what happened. I don't blame you and I will  _ never  _ blame you, and I hurt for you, because I hate that you remember it. I hate that you know exactly what happened and I know you are blaming yourself and I'm begging you to stop. Everything that happened was completely out of your control, and out of my control and--” a deep breath. “--and yeah. Yeah it sucks, but I'm not going to let something neither one of us could control ruin what we have.” 

“It's just like I told Steve.” another light squeeze, and this time Bucky returned it. “You’re my Omega, and I'm always going to love you. Nothing will change that.” 

“Oh.” Bucky shuddered out a breath. “ _ Oh _ .” 

“Because you  _ are  _ my Omega, aren't you?” Tony took a chance and lifted his wings enough to touch Bucky's, watching the Omega’s eyes close. “Will you let me hold you?” 

“Do you still want me?” Bucky knew his voice wobbled and he didn't care overly much, especially not when the Alpha shifted towards him, those huge wings lifting hopefully. “After everything?” 

“Oh sweet thing.” Tony's eyes started edging with red when Bucky bit back a whimper at the endearment, at the  _ want,need,mine _ rolling from the Alphas shoulders. “Let me show you how much I will  _ always _ want you.” 

**********************

**********************

“ _ I’m not afraid of your edges _ .” Tony whispered when they fell onto the bed together and Bucky tried to hide his wings, so Bucky spread them out wide and let himself sigh as the Alpha ran his fingers through the inky black, going so far as to touch the flat sides of the metal tips, to stir the feathers so the tips clinked and clicked together. 

“You’re beautiful.” Tony buried his nose in a patch of feathers. “Sweet,  _ pretty  _ Omega. I’ve missed you.”

~~~

_ “I forgot how good you feel _ .” Bucky choked out after he had convinced Tony to take his shirt off, to rub their chests together skin on skin, or rather skin on arc reactor and Tony tensed up when Bucky gasped at the feel of it, but the Omega pulled him down anyway and groaned when Tony lowered the rest of his body to lay against him. 

“I smell different now, with the reactor.” Tony said regretfully. “It's changed my scent.” 

“You smell amazing.” Bucky corrected. “Like _my_ Alpha.”

~~~

“ _ Shhh sweet Omega _ .” Tony crooned when he reached for Bucky's belt and the Omega stiffened. “We don’t have to.” Tony slid back up his body to kiss and lick through Bucky's mouth. “This is wonderful like this.” 

But Bucky made an impatient little noise and shoved Tony's hand back down, and the Alpha started working at his belt again, but murmured soft, soothing things and was slow and careful anyway. 

“I'll take care of you, sweetheart.”

~~~

“ _ More, Alpha, Please _ .” It was almost overwhelming how quickly everything came back between them, for not having touched in almost five months, and to have barely crossed the line into physical intimacy only a few days before Tony had left for Afghanistan.

And yet when they were naked on the bed it wasn’t new or awkward between them at all, and when Bucky boldly slicked a hand down Tony's length, he laughed at the way the Alpha jumped and then tensed, and Bucky teased him about having learned a few new things that might impress him.

Tony's possessive growl vibrated through their bodies to Bucky's core. 

~~~

_ “Slow, Sweetheart. We haven’t done this before.”  _ Tony cautioned when his Omega pulled him greedily between his legs, spreading his thighs and arching his back invitingly and it took every last bit of Tony's self control to not  _ take _ right then.

Instead he reached down for where Bucky was hot and  _ slick _ and took his time opening him up, watching the color climb his Omegas face as he tried his damnedest to find every spot he could that made Bucky writhe and whimper beneath him. 

“Need more than your fingers.” Bucky panted and Tony only grinned and added another. 

~~~

“ _ Tony—Tony I didn’t know it could be so good _ .” The ragged words had Tony putting his face in Bucky's chest to hide both the pride and the anguish that crossed his face. Knowing that beyond their fairly innocent touches before Afghanistan, Bucky had only been hurt by Alphas made Tony want to scream. Knowing that Bucky was in absolute awe of how good it was between them made Tony want to  _ howl. _

He settled for a sweet kiss, slow and lingering until Bucky was panting and lifting his hips anxiously to make Tony  _ move _ , and then he did move, with a slow roll of his hips that had him seeing stars and had his Omega gripping at his biceps and presenting his wings out as best he could against the comforter.

~~~

“ _ You fit me so well, Sweet thing, Sweet perfect Omega.” _ Tony gasped as Bucky's legs tightened around his waist, the pretty Omegas words reduced onto to  _ please _ ,  _ more _ and  _ yes _ .

“We’re made to be together, aren't we?” Tony pressed him harder into the bed, trying to keep things slow so Bucky would be comfortable but having a hard time thinking straight as his knot swelled and orgasm grew closer.

His wings lifted above them, red filling whiskey brown eyes and Bucky bit his lip and reach for Tony, overwhelmed by his Alpha’s display. 

~~~

“ _ I want all of you, Tony _ .” Bucky closed his eyes and tossed his head back into the pillows. “Give me all of you.”

“We don’t have to—it’s our first time—don’t want to hurt you—we can wait.” Tony assured him even as he thrust that much harder into Bucky's willing body.

“All of you.” Bucky repeated, and his scream was one of pure pleasure when Tony's knot pushed into him and locked into place, and the Alpha crushed their mouths together to swallow every sound.

~~~

“ _ Sweet perfect Omega _ .” Tony licked and nibbled over Bucky's neck, having barely managed not to jerk forward and bury his teeth in the Omegas throat, especially with the way Bucky had snapped his wings open and nearly arced off the bed when he found his release, baring his neck and begging for the Alpha in a wonderfully desperate voice.

Tony's control had nearly broken but he had managed to push the urge away and as Bucky came back to himself, Tony still moving in tiny jerks inside him as he rode out the waves of his orgasm, there had been a look of disappointment in those crystal blue eyes.

Tony just kissed the look away with a whispered  _ soon. _

~~~

_“I need a collar like the other Omegas have_.” Bucky's voice was little more than a slur as Tony eased from him, gentle hands on his hips and then a quick absence as Tony found a towel to clean them up with.

“Why do you say that?” Tony smiled and kissed Bucky tenderly. 

“Because next time I want you to bite me.” Tony’s eyes started shading red again and Bucky sat up to scrape his teeth over the Alpha's neck. “Would you let me bite you too, Alpha?"

*********************

*********************

“Fury!” Tony's voice cut through the general noise in the lobby at SHIELD and stopped the Beta Director in his tracks. 

It was nearly dark, definitely dinner time, and Tony and Bucky had finally dragged themselves off the bed and packed Bucky's things, ready to get home and have dinner with the family. They had just exited the elevator and unfortunately- or maybe unfortunately-- Tony had caught sight of Fury as the man headed towards his office. 

“Alpha.” Bucky muttered and tugged on Tony's hand. “Lets just go.” Bucky didn't like Fury, didn't really trust the Beta, and always felt like he was hiding something, like he always had a bigger picture he didn't intend to share. It had been Steve who convinced Bucky to take the Africa Op, promising that Fury wasn't as bad as he seemed, and when Fury had offered Bucky a job, he had just pushed aside all those misgivings and accepted, desperate to get out of the Tower. 

But that didn't matter anymore, not with Tony here, so he tugged his Alpha’s hand again. “It doesn't matter. I'm coming home so lets just--” 

“Fury.” Tony repeated, and dropped Bucky's hands to open his wings wide as the Beta approached them cautiously. “What the hell do you think you are--” 

“Now, Stark.” Fury narrowed his one good eye. “Sergeant Barnes made the decision to come work for me, and you need to respect that.” 

“I told you from day one that you aren't to approach anyone in my family about missions without first running it by me.” Tony snapped. “You will not try to take anyone from my family and my team, do you understand?” and Fury managed to yawn, looking completely unimpressed. 

“Stark. I'm surprised you’re such an old- fashioned Alpha. Do the members of the team know you treat them as second class citizens who need their Alpha’s permission to do anything? If Sergeant Barnes saw an opportunity to leave you and wanted to take it, who am I to say no?” 

“Besides.” Fury made a show of brushing off his jacket. “You were gone for three months, and haven't been seen in public since returning. There are questions being asked if it's even right for the team to still live in Stark Tower if you can't get yourself together, and I have to say I agree. I'm petitioning to have the team consolidated under one name and one roof--  _ my  _ roof.”

Tony roared, his eyes snapping to blood red and in two steps he had his hands around Fury’s throat and had the Director shoved up against the wall. 

His wings unfurled to their full length, nearly six feet on each side, and with the muted coloring, the brown looked  _ black  _ and the red looked like  _ blood  _ and the silver looked like  _ weapons  _ and the gold looked like  _ bronze armor _ and the Alpha had never looked like more of a warrior than he did right then. 

And in a perfectly quiet, perfectly horrifying tone, the Alpha leaned in and told Fury, “If you so much as look at my family, if you even think about trying to take them away, I. Will. Destroy. You.” 

**********************

**********************

It was considered old fashioned, and really tiny bit of biological discrimination to expect the other secondary genders to submit to an angry Alpha, but there was a reason that sort of behavior had been the societal norm for so long.

There wasn't anything quite as terrifying as an Alpha with their wings open and their eyes red and a growl ripping through their chest. 

Every person in the lobby stopped walking, most of the Omegas needing to grab something for support because their instinctual reaction was to drop to their knees and bare their neck in submission. The Betas all backed up several steps and looked away, and even the other Alpha in the room folded her wings back and kept her gaze below Tony’s eye level. 

Fury was physically shaking, his good eye bulging out, and when Tony sat him back on the floor, it took every bit of the Directors strength to not crumple to the floor. 

“ _ Omega _ .” Tony rumbled and Bucky scrambled to his feet, taking his Alpha’s hand and turning his face into Tony's neck, purring plaintively, a little terrified at the show of dominance, and more than a little turned on. 

“Omega.” Tony said again, and this time his voice was less growly. “We are going home.” 


	18. Chapter 18

“Tony.” Wanda wrapped both arms and her odd wings around him and held the Alpha close, murmuring something he didn't understand in Russian, or maybe it was Hungarian… Tony knew she spoke several languages, but because of Natasha, she and Pietro spoke Russian more than the others, so he supposed that was a safe guess. 

It didn't matter of course, because  _ comfort  _ is something that doesn't need a specific language, so Tony put his head on the girls shoulder and let her rub over his back, over his feathers in a soothing gesture. 

“We are so glad you are home.” she whispered, and then a blue flash shoved her rudely out of the way and it was Pietro hugging Tony tightly. 

“Steve wouldn't let us go get you.” he complained loudly. “It would have been so easy! Wanda could have just--” 

“Pietro.” Wanda shook her head. “That does not matter. All that matters is that Tony is home  _ now _ .” 

“Yeah I guess.” Pietro's electric blue wings burst from his shoulders and circled around Tony briefly before he pulled away. “Glad you’re safe, Tony.” 

“It's good to see you kids.” Tony smiled at them both, watching with undisguised interest as Pietro called his wings back, folding them in until the brightly colored feathers had disappeared again. “Get some food hm? We can catch up later.”

The twins headed back into the living room, dodging various members of the family before settling in on either side of Clint and chattering away at him, signing as they spoke. 

“Your family.” a voice from behind Tony. “I think when you spoke of them in Afghanistan you left out some of their more interesting characteristics.” 

“Yinsen.” Tony turned with broad smile, his wings flicking open in welcome. “Are you settled in?” 

“Dr Banner was kind enough to help me unpack my things.” Yinsens steel grey wings opened as well, his eyes sparkling. “You look much better than when we parted, Tony. Being home with your unique family has healed you.” 

“Yeah well.” Tony rubbed at his arc reactor, and Yinsens eyes dimmed in sympathy. “One day at a time, right?” 

“Of course.” Yinsen let Tony lead him to the bar and pour him a drink. “I will admit I was surprised when I was suddenly cleared through customs and welcomed into the States with open arms.” 

“There are benefits to being trapped with me for months.” Tony grinned and clinked their glasses together in a cheers. “And of course, one of my Omegas is Captain America. You should have asked for a sports car, they absolutely would have given you one if Steve turned that all-American righteous scowl towards them.”

“I can assure you that being here is enough.” Yinsen smiled warmly. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home.” 

“The Tower can be home for you for as long as you want.” Tony shook his head. “I wouldn't have survived the cave without you, and the very least I can do is give you a room here with the family. Even if you don't stay, there will be a room for you to come back to. Wanda and Pietro don't live here full time, but their rooms are always open. Yours will be too.” 

“About that--” Yinsen motioned to the twins, who were signing rapidly and laughing at whatever Clint said back. “The mutant children? I am aware of how most of your family came to live here, but I know nothing about them.” 

“The twins.” Tony clarified. “My Omega Clint rescued them from a Hydra facility several years ago. We aren't actually sure if they are mutant, or if they are mutated because of experiments.” 

“They have powers? And the girl has bat wings, and the boy doesn't have wings at all?” 

“Wanda is… a little of a mystery. We aren't exactly sure what she can do and how, but frankly--” Tony shot Yinsen a quick look. “-- frankly it's terrifying what her potential would be if she ever tapped into it all, and then unleashed it on us.”

“And the boy?” Yinsen prompted. 

“Pietro is just a speedy, mouthy bastard.” Tony laughed. “He’s fast and surprisingly strong and never stops talking. And he has wings, he can just fold them into his body when he doesn't want them to be seen.”

“Oh my.” Yinsens eyes widened. “And the sign language. I did not think they were deaf?” 

“Clint is.” Tony tapped his ear. “He keeps his ear piece in almost all the time, but the twins sign everything they say to him just in case. I think it helps them feel closer to him. When they are with Natasha they speak almost exclusively in Russian, and I'm sure it's for the same reason.” 

“Ah yes. Russian. Tell me, Tony, why have they been calling me grandfather ?”

“Is that what that word is?” Tony laughed out loud. “What is it,  Дед ?”

“Yes, they have been calling me,  Дед,  grandfather all evening.” 

“It's because you’re the oldest one in the family.” Tony explained. “They are the kids, being the youngest, myself and Clint are father figures, everyone else is something along the lines of aunts and uncles, which makes you the grandfather.”

“I--see.” Yinsen said slowly, and when Tony looked up, the Beta’s eyes filled with tears. “I did not think I would have a family again, Tony.” 

“Hey.” Tony lifted his wings in welcome and comfort. “You have one here.” 

“Thank you.” Yinsen said simply and Tony grinned and nudged him towards the kitchen. 

“Come on. Let’s go get some food before the super soldiers get back from the store and eat it all.” 

***********************

***********************

“So I think I know the man who was holding us.” Tony mentioned casually as he and Bruce and Yinsen sat in the lab later that night, relaxing after what had turned into a full on party with the family. 

“Raza?” Yinsen asked, looking up from the computer he was hovering over with Bruce. “Did you know him from before?” 

“Not Raza.” Tony shook his head. “The other one, the Alpha.” 

“The one that hated you.” Yinsen’s wings fluttered in curiosity. “I assumed there had to be a personal connection. You have discovered what it is?” 

“Yep.” Tony pushed a photo across the deck towards him, tapping the date stamp from over thirty years ago. “Meet Obadiah Stane. Vice President of Stark Industries for ten years, the best man at my parents wedding, and affectionately called Uncle Obie by one very impressionable guinea pig named Tony Stark.” 

“Guinea pig.” Yinsen repeated slowly. “Explain this.

Tony pushed another piece of paper towards him and watched Yinsen’s face as the scientist read over the date, steel grey wings dropping in shock. “Tony this means---” 

“Yep.” 

“And you didn't know? Your father never told you? And a standard blood test wouldn't show any serum because it is only the building blocks, and not the full system.” 

“Yep.” 

“The best way we can tell--” Bruce interrupted, pointing out a few other things on the sheet. “Tony was too young when Stane injected him with the serum, so it never did what it was supposed to do. Other than giving him an enhanced immune system, there has been no other side effects.” 

“I see.” Yinsen put the paper down and tapped at his chin thoughtfully. “And you are thinking about restarting this program? Perfecting it perhaps?” 

“It crossed my mind.” Tony admitted. “Think about the lives we could change. Leukemia patients, epileptic children-- any pre-pubescent kid with any sort of disease. It could bring their bodies back into balance or--” a deep breath. “--or it could backfire and tear them apart.”

“That’s why your father didn't continue his research.” 

“Right. What if I was just a fluke? He would have had to experiment for decades to make it feasible and I'm sure he woke up anxious every day wondering if that day would be the day the serum finally ripped me apart.” 

“So.” Yinsen sent Tony an appraising look. “Stane injected you with serum, your father destroyed his life, and now years later he is trying to seek revenge?” 

“Seems like it.” Tony shrugged. “What's the saying? Beware the fury of a patient man?” 

“Do you think he is somehow behind your weapons ending up in the hands of terrorists?” 

“I have been trying to figure that out, but it wouldn't surprise me.” Another shrug. “Unfortunately after mom and dad...passed… it took me several years to sort myself out and step back up and run the company. In those years, it would have been easy for someone with knowledge to take advantage of the lax leadership and probably shitty security.” 

“So what are you doing about it?” Yinsen prompted. “Have you put any thought into how to go about tracking him? Plugging the holes in your company? What about the terrorist cells that have been using your tech to wage their wars? You have a responsibility, Tony, do not waste your life, do not waste the second chance that was given to---”

He fell silent when Bruce tapped a few keys on the keyboard, and the lab floor started folding away, a platform rising from the middle, the red and gold suit shining in the lights. 

“It's you.” Yinsen’s mouth fell open. “You are the Iron Man that has been wreaking so much havoc overseas.” 

“You could say that.” Tony inclined his head towards the suit. “A better version of what I was trying to build in the cave.” 

“Oh my.” Bruce and Tony fell silent, Bruce moving to rest a hand on Tony's shoulder as Yinsen walked around the suit carefully, reaching out to touch the pieces, jumping and then laughing when Tony brought JARVIS online to power it up. 

“And you are determined to solve this problem yourself? Just you and your suit?” Yinsen tapped the hole in the armor where Tony’s arc reactor would shine through.

“Absolutely not.” Tony shook his head. “I could never do this by myself, I can't change the world the way I want to with just my suit.” 

“How then?” 

“By asking my family to help me.” Tony said easily, and Bruce squeezed at his shoulder. “The most dangerous people in the world call me Alpha. Myself and my family will be a team like no other, a force to be reckoned with.” 

“Have you talked to them about this then?” Yinsen wanted to know, backing away when the platform started dropping again, hiding the suit beneath the tiles of the lab floor. “How do they feel about it?” 

Tony hesitated. “Uhh----”

*****************************

*****************************

“Absolutely not.” Steve folded his arms and leveled a scowl at Tony. “There is no way you are suiting up in a tin can and blasting off to fights with the team.” 

“I think it's a good idea.” Sam offered. “We would all feel safer in the field with our Alpha there to help.” 

“No, Steve is right.” Clint was holding Bucky's hand but he jumped up to pace. “No way. Tony, you are our Alpha and we love you but all of us are enhanced in some way. All of us have some sort of advantage on missions. You would not.”

“Are you joking?” Tony rapped his knuckles on the suit that was sitting on the couch next to him, looking disconcertingly human with the way Tony had folded it's arms and propped one ankle over a knee. “Does this not look  _ enhanced  _ to you?” 

“Tony, you have no formal training.” Natasha tried this time. “It is one thing to fly around in  _ that _ , but what happens if you are knocked out of the sky? If it malfunctions and you have to step out of it?” 

“JARVIS runs the controls.” Bruce cut in. “As long as JARVIS in on line, the chance of the suit blipping out is minimal barring some sort of major explosion or--”

“Okay but major explosions are an everyday thing when you are out there.” Pietro was so upset his wings had came from his shoulders without him even noticing, and the neon blue feathers twitched in aggravation. “What then?” 

“Tony is a genius.” Wanda cut in. “Surely he has made adjustments to this suit to counteract nearly every possibility. And the ones he cannot foresee-- that is why the rest of the team is here, yes? We will protect him if he needs it.”

“I vote that Wanda and Pietro don't  _ get  _ a vote.” Clint sounded annoyed. “We hardly let you guys out there anyway, you shouldn't have a say in whether or not Tony joins us.” 

“That is true.” Wanda admitted. “But when we are in Sokovia, you have no say over what we do, and we have faced many things you are not aware of, and came out unscathed. We are just as aware as you are of the dangers that being on the team brings.” 

“Ugh.” Clint looked a little pale at the thought of the twins fighting anything other than the occasional sniffle or headache. “Please don't talk about that.” 

“The point is--” Steve raised his voice to be heard over the noise. “The point is Tony, that you need to--” 

“I think that when our Alpha tells us he wants to fight alongside us, that he wants to help change the world, that we should be thrilled about it, not bitchin’ about it.” Bucky's low voice silenced everyone, and they all turned to look at him. 

“I'm just saying.” The Omega touched his leather collar unconsciously, and Tony’s eyes warmed at the gesture. “Tony does everything for us, designs our gear, our tech, keeps us safe-- why would you think he would take any less care with something he is piloting? Why would you try to talk him out of protecting us further just with his presence?” 

“Bucky's right.” Sam agreed, and opened his red wings wide before dropping them in a purposefully submissive gesture. “And I'd follow our Alpha anywhere.” 

Murmurs from the rest of the team, and one by one they all seemed to agree with Bucky and Sam.

“Fine.” Steve nodded reluctantly, but his voice was firm as he said-- “But you will have to train, Tony. Hand to hand combat, a workout regime, all of that. You can't just hang out in here and then suit up and fly out because you feel invincible in your suit. You need to be ready for anything whether you are in your suit or not.” 

“I don't have a problem with that.” Tony agreed instantly, smiling to himself, because Steve might be  _ his  _ Omega, but like this the beautiful blond was all  _ Captain _ , the no nonsense leader of the team and Tony loved to see that. “Whatever you think is going to help the most, Steve.” he continued. “We can start right away. You can set up a training schedule, or partner me up with someone-- I don't know anything about that sort of thing, so I trust you to make those decisions.” 

“You’ll have to train with Natasha and Sam.” Steve said then, lowering his eyes from the Alphas steady gaze. “I might be Captain if the team, but you are my Alpha and I won’t be able to put my hands on you like that, not even for training.”

Tony trilled something soft and assuring and Steve turned his head a little, touching the collar he wore every day now. Clint muttered something in agreement, rubbing his thumb over his own collar. 

“Tony can train with me.” Tasha ran a gentle hand over Steve’s wings, then bent to lay a searing kiss on Tony's lips. “You might be our Alpha, but I have no issue kicking your ass.”

Tony laughed and kissed her back, and the family meeting broke up, each of the Omegas leaning down to kiss Tony, whining quietly when he tugged at their collars.

“The Widow is terrifying.” Yinsen remarked once the lab was empty again. “For being so beautiful, I suppose. You wouldn't look at here and think she is a killer.” 

“Easily one of the scariest people I’ve ever seen.” Tony agreed, and folded his arms, smiling up at Bruce in satisfaction. “That went better than I thought it would.”

“I suppose.” Bruce said dubiously. “Who gets to tell Pepper and Colonel Rhodes about it though.”

“Ugh.” Tony rolled his eyes. “One two three not it!” He stood and stretched, yawning loudly. “Yinsen, can I walk you to your room? The Tower can be confusing if you aren't sure where you are going.” 

“I think I will stay here for moment longer with Dr Banner.” Yinsen decided, and Tony nodded, unfurling his wings to touch Yinsen’s for a moment before moving over to Bruce and bumping their noses together affectionately. 

Once the lab doors slid closed behind the Alpha, Bruce fixed Yinsen with a look. “You have questions.” he stated. “Go ahead.” 

“Why do the Omega’s wear collars?” Yinsen asked immediately. “Tony does not strike me as the type of Alpa to need to publicly claim his mates and yet they all wear collars. Why is that?” 

“The collars are because Tony  _ won't  _ claim them as mates.” Bruce corrected. “He thinks they need to wait to choose a mate that they actually want, not one they are thrown together with because of this work.” 

“He thinks they would choose him because he is the only Alpha available.” Yinsen clarified. “Or perhaps because he provides for the team, maybe it is mis placed affection.” 

“Exactly right.” Bruce started shutting down the lab. “But Tony is an Alpha, and his instinct is to bite the Omegas when they are together, so he asked them to wear collars when they are in bed, so he can still bite, but they don't have to worry about it sparking a mating bond.” 

“So why do they wear their collars outside of the bedroom?” Yinsen pointed out. “

“They never did before.” Bruce frowned in thought. “But when Tony came home he struggled for several weeks with who he was, and how he fit into the family still, and went so far as to not even touch the Omegas. Now that they have made up and Tony is feeling better, the Omegas started wearing their collars all the time. It is a sign of ownership that they proudly display, and an open invitation to Tony to bite them whenever he wants.” 

“That is a very intimate thing for a family to be aware of between an Alpha and his Omegas.” Yinsen said cautiously. 

“Yes, well, if you haven't figured it out.” Lights started clicking off and Bruce motioned Yinsen to the door. “We are not the average family. It's a source of pride for us that our Alpha has three Omegas who love him and want to bond with him.” 

“All three of them want to have him as mate?” 

“Desperately.” Bruce closed the lab door. “They are just waiting on Tony to realize it.” 


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I will admit I love this chapter.  
> Tonys speech to his Omegas at the end gives me All The Feels.

“Dammit!” Tony wheezed a little when he hit the gym mat hard. “What the hell!” **  
**

Natasha smirked down at him, taking a long drink of her water before reaching down to help him up. “You gotta  _focus_ , Tony.”

“Yeah about that.” Tony wiped a rag over his forehead. “Could you maybe train with more clothes on?”

“I’m wearing plenty of clothes.” Natasha retorted. “Besides, you need to be able to fight whether you are distracted or not.”

“Well I’m certainly distracted.” he snarked. “So if I ever have to fight she-devils in red hotpants and black bras I’ll be good to go.”

Tasha laughed and shimmied a little just because she knew Tony’s eyes would shade red, and then dotted a kiss on his lips before backing up and dropping into a fight stance. “Again.” she instructed. “Lets go. This time watch my feet. You can always tell which way someone is going to go by their feet first, they will shift their weight first, even if it’s just barely, alright?”

“Alright.” Tony took a deep breath. “Lets try it again.”

Natasha rolled her shoulders and then jabbed with a hard right and Tony’s arm shot up to block it.

“Good!” she praised. “Again. Faster this time!”

They went again, and  _again_ , until Tony was panting and starting to move slower, and when Natasha connected with a punch that sent him back a few steps, Sam stepped in.

“Hey, that’s enough for today.” he cautioned. “We don’t want to kill him, just train him.”

“I’m fine.” Tony shook his head, then his wings out, and motioned for Tasha again. “Lets go again, it’s only been a few hours, come on.”

“Hm.” Tasha tilted her head and looked Tony over, and then came at him faster than before, fists flying and dodging every punch from him, ducking and swerving and then in a move that never failed to both terrify  _and_ impress–

–she climbed his body, wrapped her thighs around his neck and twisted hard, throwing Tony to the mat and pinning him there between her legs.

“Jesus Christ!” Tony would have laughed if there were any more air in his lungs, and tapped at a muscled thigh. “Mercy.  _Uncle_. Get off of me.”

“ _You_ get  _me_ off.” she said smugly and flipped them over so she was on her back and Tony’s face was buried against her.

“Tasha.” Tony growled, and when he managed to lift his head a little, his eyes were red, his wings opening and the pretty Beta arched her back and purred in excitement.

Sam locked the door behind him when he left.

******************

“Hey, how are things going down there?”  Steve looked up from the movie, and Clint paused on his way back from the kitchen with more popcorn. “Is Tony doing alright?”

“He’s actually doing great. For someone who only knows the basics of self defense, he is picking up on everything really quickly.” Sam snagged a beer and stretched out on the other couch, patting the cushion invitingly and smiling when Bucky got up from the recliner and curled onto the couch with him. The Omega scented over his neck, and Sam held him tighter when Bucky hummed in contentment, tucking his nose into Sam’s chest and closing his eyes.

“So what’s the problem then?” Clint put the popcorn down at the table and stretched out on top of Steve, settling between his legs and smirking when the big blonde ran his hand through the deep brown feathers, smoothing them carefully while pressing Clint even closer.

“What do you mean?” Sam was twisting Bucky’s hair through his fingers, tugging lightly at the strands and rearranging Bucky’s wings until they hung out of the way, bringing his own up to cover their legs in warmth.

“I mean, why do you look like you saw something crazy and therefore needed physical contact right away.” Clint clarified. “You look all flustered. Hot and bothered—  _oh_.”

“Yeah.” Sam rolled his eyes. “Uh… lets just say that Tony and Natasha made it through three solid hours of training before it became too much for either of them.”

A blank look from Steve.

“Nat was fighting in a bra and panties.” Sam supplied helpfully. “And I can’t believe it took three hours for their training to turn into something  _else_.”

“Damn.” Clint groaned and shifted on top of Steve. “If I would have known training Tony included sweaty post training gym sex I would have jumped on that.”

“You know damn well you wouldn’t be able to train Tony.” Steve said lightly. “Maybe once he has some more skill, but for right now? No way. Teaching your Alpha to fight by throwing punches and skimpy outfits at him wouldn’t work.”

“He’s right.” Bucky added, his voice muffled in Sam’s shirt. “We can’t train with Tony until he is good enough that we won’t be paranoid about hurting him.”

“Well that’s  _fine_ , but he’s been so tired from training this whole week that he hasn’t had any time for us.” Clint tugged at his collar, and the other Omegas sighed in agreement. “And I am admittedly greedy as shit, but I still won’t ask for anything from our Alpha when he is falling asleep in his dinner.”

More mumbled agreement and they fell silent as the movie played through.

“You guys want to sleep in my room tonight?” Sam offered. “I’m not an Alpha, but–”

“ _Yes_!” Bucky blurted and pushed even closer, quickly followed by Steve and Clint who tried to squeeze onto the couch as well, and Sam laughed out loud as his arms and wings were suddenly full of needy Omegas.

“You guys are the worst.” he teased, but he lay back on the couch anyway, and held the purring Omegas until the movie ended.

*****************

*****************

“Tony!” Steve stuck his head into the gym, looking for his Alpha, and finding him exactly where he had been every day for the last three weeks– in the sparring ring with Sam and Natasha.

“Steve.” Tony’s wings lifted tiredly. “We are almost done.”

“Yeah?” Steve moved to the edge of the ring, looking up at Tony in concern, eyeing the exhaustion evident in the Alpha’s posture. “ _When_?”

“Is everything alright?” Tony frowned, instantly on alert for whatever his Omega needed. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Steve assured him, then ran his finger under the edge of his collar meaningfully. “I just miss you. You’ve been doing this every day and I feel like we just barely got you back before we lost you to another project.”

“Sorry.” Tony murmured, his eyes dropping to the strong line of Steve’s neck wistfully. “You’re right. I just got to work a little longer today and then I can come with you, alright?”

“What else do you need to work on?” Steve asked, not meaning to sound impatient and whiny, but knowing he sounded like it anyway. “I know this was my idea, but is fifteen minutes of training really going to make a difference?”

“We are working on take downs.” Tony explained, his eyes darkening when he felt the  _lonely,irritated,hold me_  from his Omega. “Just a few minutes, honey, I’m just trying to work on this one specific–”

“Work on it with me.” Steve interrupted and jumped up into the ring, stripping off his shirt and tossing it away. “Come on.”

“Steve, I don’t know if I can practice with you.” Tony warned. “You feel weird putting your hands on me to fight? It’s about a thousand times harder for me to try and hit my Omega.”

“Yeah?” Steve rolled his shoulders and lashed out with a hard right that Tony only barely avoided. “Come on. You need fifteen minutes to practice a take down? Let’s go.”

“Steve–” Tony warned again, dodging another swing, knowing full well the Omega would be pulling his punches, but still not wanting to engage. “I’m sorry I’ve been a little absent lately but you need to–”

“Come on, Alpha.” Steve taunted, his wings lifting in a challenge. “Lets see what you’ve learned.”

“Tony.” Natasha and Sam had already left the ring and she called up to him from the door. “Remember, he’s  _bigger_ than you! Try the move we’ve been practicing!”

“Are you sure about this?” Tony asked and Steve nodded, his posture relaxing now that they were they only ones in the room.

“I miss you.” he said frankly. “And I need to spend some time with you that isn’t just you collapsing into bed at the end of the day and barely managing to get your arms around me or any of the other Omegas.”

“I’m sorry.” Tony tagged him with a left and danced away from Steve’s returning blow. “I know I promised you guys I’d be around more and all I did was pick up another project that takes all my energy.”

“We understand  _this_ project.” Steve assured him. “But we would also like time with you.  _Lots_ of time with you. You’re our Alpha Tony, and I’ll be the first to admit that after everything… needy doesn’t even begin to describe how we are feeling around you.”

“I’ll take tomorrow off.” Tony ducked a hard swing and retreated across the ring. “I’ll take tomorrow off and spend the whole day with all three of you, how does that sound?”

“It sounds amazing.” Steve waited for Tony to take a drink of water. “Now what is this takedown you are working on?”

“Oh Natasha showed it to me.” Tony smirked and Steve didn’t even have time to ask  _what_ before the Alpha was running across the ring and throwing himself at the big Omega.

Steve had a split second to breathe and then his head was clamped between Tony’s calves, before Tony threw himself backwards to touch the mat, and wrenched his legs  _hard_.

Steve was flipped right off his feet, spinning a few times before he smacked onto the unforgiving mat, his head bouncing off the surface and giving him an instant headache.

It was hard to care about the headache though, when Tony was straddling his waist, pinning him to the floor, huge wings snapped up and open, and eyes a dark red.

Steve went from annoyed to  _desperate_ just that fast.

“Jesus.” He gasped, and arched his back, baring his neck desperately, pulling at his collar like it was strangling him. “Alpha  _please_ —“

A growl rolled from Tony’s chest, vibrating into Steve’s core and the Omega flattened his own wings to the floor submissively, tilting his head further with a pleading whine.

“ _Mine_.” Tony snarled, sounding fierce and dangerous and  _all Alpha—_

—and Steve tried not to scream when sharp teeth closed over his neck, unable to stop himself from coming just from the touch of his Alpha.

“Mmm.” Tony didn’t open his jaw, just bit down harder into the leather, working one hand between their bodies to stroke through the sweatpants over Steve’s still pulsing cock, wringing every bit of pleasure from him.

“Alpha.” Steve slurred and Tony finally pulled away from his neck, kissing and licking up to his ear, rumbling comfortingly as his Omega trembled beneath him.

“This is why I can’t train with you.” Tony murmured teasingly. “This happens maybe once a week with Nat or Sam. It would be _every damn time_  with you.”

“Point taken.” Steve conceded and winced at the sticky mess in his pants. “Can we take a shower?”

“Of course.” Tony kissed him long and slow, touching over him playfully until Steve was pushing up again for  _more_. “You take the elevator right up to my rooms. I’ll stop and get Bucky and Clint. You’re right, we are overdue for some time together.”

*********************

*********************

Tony lay on his bed, wings stretched out enough to finish drying, listening to his Omegas talking in the shower as they finished cleaning up.

Shower sex was always fun, but with three Omegas in there with him Tony had settled for using his hands and mouth to get each of them off, whether it was pulling Clint back into his chest and rubbing against him from behind while using his hands, or dropping to his knees for Bucky or pulling Steve onto his lap on one of the benches and grinding against him until the big blonde was spilling for the second time.

Then they had gathered around him, touching and kissing and licking and biting, their hands and fingers all over his shaft and  _lower_ when he spread his legs, squeezing over his knot as it formed, and then purring and humming and coaxing him right to his edge and over.

Bucky had surprised the hell out of him by crouching and licking a long line up his stomach, cleaning the mess from his skin, and Clint had moaned and done the same thing while Steve was petting through Tony’s wings and kissing him, bringing him down from his high with soft words and nuzzles.

And now Tony waited on his bed for them to join him, smiling as he heard them laughing together, listening to the short silences as one or the other kissed, and letting himself float in a post daze of  _pleasure,content,love_.

“Are you sleeping already, Alpha?” Clint said teasingly as he headed towards the bed, dropping his towel in favor of retying his collar and when he climbed on top of the mattress, Tony reached for him instantly, bringing him up to straddle his waist and biting down over the soft leather.

Clint sighed and relaxed on top of him, happy to let his Alpha claim him like this.

“I love you, sweetheart.” Tony said roughly, and Clint shook his wings out, draping them over himself and Tony as he whispered–  _Alpha, my Alpha, I love you too._

Bucky was next, and Clint moved off Tony to make room for him, slipping off the bed and into Steve’s arms when Tony turned Bucky onto his back, spreading those dangerous wings out across the comforter and closing his teeth around the leather at Bucky’s neck.

“ _Oh_!” Bucky arched beneath him, the feeling of being  _bit_ still something of a novelty, and Tony growled in approval before pulling off to breathe into Bucky’s ear- _\- I love you, sweet thing, pretty perfect thing_.

Then Steve, who was ;always more submissive than anyone would have thought the Captain would be, baring his neck and gasping- “ _Yours_ ” when he felt teeth at his throat and Tony closed his eyes and held Steve tighter, his wings opening completely, then settling around them in a blanket of feathers.

“I love you.” His voice was low and Steve nodded. “I’m always going to love you.”

“I know, Alpha, I love you too.”

“Do you realize your wings open with no trouble when you are around us?” Clint asked when Tony let Steve go and motioned for the other two to join them on the bed as well. Bucky stretched out on Tony’s left side, his metal hand resting over Tony’s heart, and Steve lay on the other side, with Clint between Tony’s legs, his head on the Alphas stomach.

“They’re so beautiful now.” Steve agreed, cuddling closer so he could put his nose in Tony’s hair. “You look like a warrior with the darker colors.”

“You guys don’t miss my other colors?” Tony sounded doubtful. “You used to love my wings.”

“We still do.” From Bucky, who flicked his wings up carefully, keeping the sharp edges well away from Clints face as he moved them to blend with Tony’s dark feathers. “But now you look…”

“Less flashy, more dangerous.” Clint finished. “It’s a good look for you. Beautiful. And when you aren’t thinking about it, when you are with us, they open wide like you were never hurt.”

“I don’t feel hurt when I’m with my Omegas.” Tony replied quietly and all three of his Omegas purred against him, inching closer and kissing whatever patch of skin they could reach.

An easy silence fell through the bedroom as they got closer to drifting off, Tony with his arms and wings full of Omegas, each of them content to hold onto their Alpha.

“I want to bond with you.” Tony said after a long time, keeping his voice soft even though his heart was racing. “All of you. I want you as  _mine_ , as my  _mates_. I know we have an unusual situation, and I know I’m an unusual Alpha, and my scent is different with the arc reactor, and my wings aren’t the same, but I’ll be a good Alpha for each of you. I’ll love you unconditionally, and provide for you, and protect you. I’ll be there for your heats, and when you just need to be held, and anything you want– anything at all, I  _promise_ it will be yours.”

He hesitated, and then his voice softened even more when he added, “And if you want kids together, I’ll build us a house with a big yard and a swing set, and room for them to grow and play. If you want to adopt together then I am all for that as well, I just want to come home every day to my Omegas as happy as I can make them. I want to fall asleep with my mates in my arms, and start every day the same way.”

“I can’t promise all good days.” Tony was whispering now, working to keep his voice steady. “I’m still healing mentally and physically, there are things that will come up with our work that will make things rough, but I  _can_ promise you– that I will love all of you more today than I did yesterday, and even more than that tomorrow.” A deep breath. “Will you take me as your Alpha? As your mate?”

Three leather collars were ripped off and torn across the room and Tony suddenly had his hands full of Omegas rubbing against him to mark him with their scent, first fingers and then lips and then  _teeth_ on his neck as they whined and wriggled against him. They took turns getting closer, leaning in so bare throats brushed by Tony’s nose, giving him full breaths of pure Omega scent, no longer blocked by thick leather and Tony breathed it all in until his head was swimming, his body tingling, a possessive growl working it’s way up through his chest.

The room was thick with _take,want,claim,bond,mate_  and the Omegas were helpless against it, unable to stop touching their Alpha, words spilling from their mouth as they moved against him.

“ _Yes, Alpha.” “Our Alpha.” “So good for us.” “Such a strong Alpha.” “Love you.” “Want you.” “Our **mate**.”_

It took most of Tony’s self control not to start right then, to take his Omegas one by one right then– but he managed to swallow the urge, to coax them all back close to him, pulling at the blankets until they were covered and warm and pressed tight together.

The Alpha closed his eyes and sighed as the energy in the room settled to something calmer and listened as each of his Omegas dropped off to sleep.

_Soon_. The thought made him want to growl. Soon they would all be  _his_.

***************************

***************************

“I’m sorry to wake you.” Bruce whispered when Tony met him in the hallway hours later, closing the door to his bedroom so he wouldn’t disturb the Omegas. “I didn’t realize you had all three of your Omegas with you.”

“It’s fine.” Tony yawned and leaned in to brush their noses together. “Are you alright?”

“Well–” Bruce handed Tony the tablet. “Once you figured out who Obadiah Stane was, I put out some face recognition software to check and see if he ever crossed back into the States, or even Europe– you know, somewhere where we can grab him with minimal issue.”

“Genius.” Tony budged up closer to him, and Bruce inclined his head with a smile. “So what did you find?”

“He just landed at JFK. Stane’s here in New York.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I got all creative with nefarious!Stane evilness in this chapter, I hope you guys like it. 
> 
> Also, the Bucky/ Bruce scene was based off a request/prompt, so I know thats usually a Nat/Bruce thing, but I liked it like this too!
> 
> I know this chapter ends on a cliff hanger and there are several questions brought up, but I promise all will be resolved in the next chapter lol
> 
> Hang in there guys! Only a few more chapters!

“I don’t want anyone here. You all have to leave.” **  
**

“Leave? The _hell_ we are!” Sam didn’t mean to yell at his Alpha, but he really couldn’t believe what Tony was suggesting. “You’re asking us to leave you alone while there is a madman in New York City who is probably coming for your  _head_ , and what, you expect us to just go out for an evening and leave you here.  _Alone_.” Sam narrowed his eyes. “This is your worst idea ever, and I was here for the time you tried to supercharge the waffle iron and set the kitchen on fire.”

Tony smiled a little at the memory, but his tone was steady. “This isn’t a discussion. I want you all gone. If Stane is coming after me, I won’t have anyone else hurt.”

“Tony!” From Bruce, and everyone startled when he  _did_ yell, standing up so fast that his chair went flying, his fists clenched at his side. “You are telling us to leave our Alpha alone, to leave you vulnerable in the same room as the man who tortured you for _three months_!”

“Bruce–” Tony started to interrupt, to hold his hand out, but Bruce talked right over him.

“No! Tony this is insane! How can you ask us to do this? Do you have any idea what we went through when you were gone? When you got home?!” Green started climbing Bruce’s neck at an alarming rate and the team started backpedaling.

“You want us to leave you with a man who jabbed a needle in your arm and could have killed you  _decades_ ago, and then tried all over again just a few months ago?  _Why the hell are you_ —” his voice deepened as the Hulk surged to the surface, his skin starting to ripple and bulge and–

–and then Bucky stepped forward, right into Bruce’s space, sliding his left hand over the back of Bruces neck and bringing their foreheads together in an iron hold, black and silver wings tucked low so be as non threatening as possible. 

“Hey hey hey. Shhh. Shhhh.” Everyone watched in disbelief as Bucky pressed closer, lining his and Bruce’s bodies up, even as the Hulk tried to tear free. “Bruce,  _Bruce_ – it’s getting real late, huh? Too late in the day for this sort of thing. Suns goin’ down, nights coming quick, we should just breathe it out and settle.  _Settle_.”

Bruce  _growled_ , and Bucky  _growled_ right back, then put his lips right against Bruce’s ear and murmured something so soft that even Steve couldn’t pick up on.

The green disappeared almost instantly, fading back into a healthier shade, and Bruce reached to hold Bucky’s neck as well, returning the grounding gesture.

“Alright?” Bucky asked after another moment, silver fingers threading through the messy curls resting on Bruce’s collar. “Alright?”

“Thank you.” Bruce kept him close for another few seconds before clearing his throat and pulling away with a short nod.

“What just happened?” Natasha whispered and Steve’s jaw was hanging open too far to answer, so Clint chimed in–

“– I think Big and Scary just brought Big and Green back under control by telling him that the sun was going down?”

“Jesus.” Tasha muttered.

“Are you alright?” Tony asked carefully and Bruce nodded, looking exhausted as he slumped back into his chair, so the Alpha crouched in front of him, wings extended in comfort.

“Brucie-bear, I’m sorry that didn’t think about how this would affect  _you_ specifically, since you more than anyone are aware of what Stane did to me. But you need to trust me,  _please_.”

“Tony, you can’t ask us to leave you here, unprotected, knowing that Stane is out there. There’s only  _one reason_  he would be in New York, and that is to come after you.” Bruce argued and Tony ran a hand over his face before patting Bruce’s knee and standing back up.

“Look.” He folded his arms and met each of the family’s eyes in a steady gaze. “I will say this one more time, and  _only_ one more time. You will all pack a bag and  _leave_ until I give the all clear to come back, do I make myself perfectly clear?”

Muttered–  _yes alpha, sorry alpha_ – and the team wouldn’t meet his eyes now, except for Clint who touched his neck in a pleading gesture, his eyes wide, wings fluttering anxiously.

But Tony shook his head, and when Clint’s face fell, he motioned the Omega forward, sliding arms and wings around him.

“Sweetheart.” he murmured, rubbing his nose over the soft shell of Clints ear. “I won’t take you as a mate until this is over. You’ve lost an Alpha already–” Tony nipped his teeth on Clints jaw when the Omega started to protest. “–you’ve lost an Alpha already, I won’t put you through that again. Once this is over we can bond.”

“Promise me.” Clint whispered.  _“Promise me_  you will make it out of this and then we can mate.”

“I promise.” Tony let his voice roughen, a growl coming through his words. “Once this is over, I will have my cock between your legs and my teeth in your neck and  _you. will. be. **mine**_.”

“ _Alpha_.” Clints knees gave out and Tony caught him when he fell, holding him up and rumbling into his ear.

“As soon as this is over.” The Alpha said again, a tender kiss completely at odds with his tone. “ _Mine_.”

Tony had similar words for the other Omegas, kissing Steve until the beautiful blonde was holding onto him desperately, running his fingers through Bucky’s black wings and promising that it would be over  _soon_.

“Yinsen and the twins are already safe.” Tony told Sam when the Beta still looked angry. “I sent them away this morning to make contact with a friend at the UN, they are fine. Please keep the family somewhere away from here.”

“Tony–”

“Sam!” Tony let the  _Alpha_ flow into his voice, taking on a deep register that had the Beta backing up a step and dropping his eyes. “Keep the family away from here.”

“Yes Alpha.” Sam was nearly shaking in his anger, but he still bent down and kissed Tony lightly, moving aside so Natasha could kiss him as well.

“Pepper and Rhodey are aware of the situation.” Tony informed her. “Rhodes has been keeping eyes on everything Stane is doing, and if things go south, Stane won’t make it out of the country, alright?”

Natasha didn’t answer, just flicked those dangerous green eyes over him, her wings tucked back behind her shoulders so they didn’t betray any emotions, and kissed him one more time.

“Bruce.” Tony put his hand out for the man. “I’m sorry about–”

“Don’t.” Bruce shook his head, wouldn’t meet Tony’s eyes. “You expect me to be alright with leaving you alone with a man like Stane. Someone who betrayed your entire family, orchestrated the death of your parents, locked you in a cave for months and had you tortured.  _No_. Don’t try to make this better.”

“When this is over, we can talk.” Tony said firmly.

“I will tear this fucking Tower to the ground.” Bruce’s dark eyes slid to bright jade. “I will tear it to the ground if something happens to you, do you understand me? I will take the Quinn jet and fly it somewhere—  _somewhere_ until it falls out of the sky or into a wormhole. I will. Tony, if your decision costs this family our Alpha, the Hulk will take me over and I don’t know if I will ever come back, do you understand?  _That_ is how badly I will grieve. Do not do that to me, to this family, because you have some ridiculous idea of how this will all work out.”

“I won’t.” Tony promised, aching to reach out and touch, but not willing to encroach on Bruce’s boundaries like that, regardless of that amazing display between him and Bucky earlier. “This will be alright.”

“It had better be.” Bruce blinked a few times and the green faded, but he was still tense. “It had better be.” he repeated, and then he was gone, and Tony was alone in the Tower.

“JARVIS?” Tony called after a few minutes of silence.

“Online, sir.” the AI answered promptly.

“Run the new protocol.”

“…Sir?”

“Do it.” Tony said firmly. “Obadiah Stane has taken enough of my family away from me. This ends tonight.”

*******************

*******************

No one else in the world would have heard the difference in the Tower when JARVIS was shut down, but Tony knew the instant his faithful AI went offline.

He tensed when the elevator started moving, climbing the floors of the Tower when it should have been locked down the moment the rest of the family had left.

The door slid open to the common room, and Tony tried not to let the anxiety bleed into his scent, keeping his eyes half closed, his head lolling against the back of the couch as if he was nearly asleep.

He heard every stealthy foot step, every heavy tread across the thick carpet, and when a voice spoke from directly behind him, Tony didn’t even jump.

“Anthony. Edward. Stark.”

It was the voice from his nightmares, the commentary in his ear every time he thought about his parents death, and Tony realized with a start that he had planned all of this out– except how much it hurt to hear that awful voice again.

“This Tower of yours–” Stane stepped from the shadows and moved around the couch slowly, taking in everything the common room had to offer. “–it is impressive. I remember your father talking about building something like this. Powered by the arc reactor technology. We all laughed about it, but little  _Anthony_ figured it out, didn’t he?”

Tony tried to turn to follow Stane’s path through the room, but didn’t. Or rather  _couldn’t_.

He tried to move his legs, his arms, even his wings and nothing so much as  _shifted_.

Only his eyes seemed to work, and they widened in panic when Obadiah turned with a pleased smile, showing off the little device in the palm of his hand.

“You see this? A Sonic Taser is what they call it. Or rather, what Howard called it. He developed it you know, a prototype, and couldn’t for the life of him figure out why anyone would need to cause short term paralysis in anyone, so he scrapped the project.”

Tony’s lips twitched as he tried to talk.

“That was the problem with your father.” Stane unbuttoned his suit jacket, sitting next to Tony on the couch as if he belonged there, putting an ankle over his knee in a pose of complete nonchalance. He didn’t fold his wings back, however, and feathers in an unsettling shade of yellow spilled over onto Tony’s body, feeling like an invasion of his personal space and damn near a violation of his person.

But Tony was barely breathing, and couldn’t do anything about it.

“He had no vision. Howard Stark–” that deep voice continued. “Designed weapons and then tossed them away in favor of energy saving devices, non lethal items. A waste of his talent and his genius. Even the super soldier serum.” Stane shook his head in exaggerated despair. “We all knew Howard could have recreated the serum in his sleep, but instead he stripped it down to it’s basics, wanted to give it away as a cure all, wanted to save the world.”

A long sigh. “I had hoped that injecting you with it would force his hand, make him see reason if his undersized weakling of a child was suddenly a tall strapping young man, but it seems as if  _mediocre_ runs in the Stark family. Not even super serum could turn you into a decent Alpha, could it?”

A thick cigar was lit and Tony couldn’t help but breathe in the heavy smoke when Obadiah made no effort to blow it away from his face.

“I’ve watched you for a long time, Tony.” a chuckle. “Tony Tony Tony. Do you know how easy it was to keep my contacts in the company once your father threw me out? How easy it was to simply move the data from your computers to my own. How do you think I really got those weapons in the hands of the Ten Rings, and all the other organizations? Surely not some nefarious leak in your company, someone selling under the table?”

“No.” Another plume of smoke. “No, Tony, all I had to do was log in and change the purchase orders. When you go looking for a paper trail, it will have yours and your precious Pepper’s signature on every single shipment.”

“Ha!” Obadiah laughed out loud, an ugly sound. “And they think the  _Starks_ are the geniuses! You have been so caught up in this ridiculous  _family_ of yours that if you hadn’t been kidnapped in Afghanistan you never would have realized what was going on right under your nose. Your father never pressed charges, so no one ever questioned why it was  _me_ selling weapons and setting up meetings and after your parents had that unfortunate accident– well, it was just easier after that.”

“Technology is an amazing thing, Tony.” Stane continued, as Tony tried to put all his concentration into trying to move his hand, a finger,  _anything_. “It was simple to have my people write themselves into the codes of this tower and piggy back on everything that goes into your system. How do you think I shut that AI down? I know all the access codes, Tony. I know everything you keep on all those tablets, all the gear you design for this team–”

“And you know, that reminds me, Tony.” Stane put a heavy hand on Tony’s thigh, tapping thoughtfully. “How was it, coming home to the Winter Soldier and having to look him in the eye after watching him strangle the life from your dear mother? Did you still want to take him as a mate? Or does that ridiculous Stark sense of family and sentiment force you to keep him around? Won’t put him out on the street even after seeing something like that?”

Tony didn’t answer of course, focusing instead on the tingle as all his nerves woke up, trying to keep himself perfectly still and his breathing even as the paralysis started to wear off. Obadiah didn’t notice the change, just stared out the balcony doors and puffed silently on his cigar for a few minutes.

“I know what you did.” he finally said. “In the cave. You managed to create an arc reactor from pieces of scrap metal and dismantled bombs. I’ve scoured every inch of data that has left this Tower since you escaped and there is not a single note about the arc reactor, which tells me that you keep all that info in that beautiful brain of yours, just like you kept all the info for the Jericho missiles off your computers. You know that’s why I had you kidnapped right? You finally made something interesting, and kept the plans locked away in your mind. I couldn’t just kill you could I? And now you’ve done the same thing with your reactor. I guess that means I’ll have to rip it out of you myself.”

Tony wished he could scream when Obadiah stood and grabbed at his arm to force him to his feet.

“Come on now.” Stane half carried, half dragged Tony to the balcony doors just of the common area, typing in the passcode to open them up into the cool night air. “See?” he raised an eyebrow as if expecting Tony to be impressed. “I’ve got all your codes. We could have avoided all of this if you had just put something about your arc reactor on your servers, you know. But this way is fine too.”

Obadiah shoved him towards the edge of the balcony, leaning Tony haphazardly against the railing. “The beauty of this plan–” he pulled a device from his pocket, opening it with a harsh sounding snap and lining it up with the arc reactor. “–the beauty of this plan, is that once you are gone, there will be no one left to protect Stark Industries, and I can bleed this miserable company dry. The Stark legacy will end with a long fall–” he leaned closer, close enough for Tony to see his own reflection in the dark eyes. “– and a sudden  _stop_.”

“Get your hands off my Alpha.” The order was snapped from the doorway, and Stane stiffened before turning enough to see Bucky there, a rifle up and ready on his shoulder, looking dangerous and  _furious_ , blue eyes glowing behind his mask, black and silver wings arched high in anger.

“Ah, the Winter Soldier.” Stane managed to not even sound surprised. If anything, he sounded cockier than he had just a minute before, and very calmly brought Tony around the front of his body so Tony was in Bucky’s line of sight. “Coming to your Alpha’s rescue like a good Omega aren’t you?”

“Get your hands off of him!” Bucky’s voice dropped into something  _dangerous_ , and the Alpha’s wings lifted in anger at being challenged by the Omega.

“Or what?” Stane still sounded deceptively calm. “You’ll shoot me and let I and your Alpha fall to our deaths? You tell me to put my hands up, and I push Tony over the edge? He’s paralyzed you know, if I drop, he drops. So–” now his voice hardened, a growl working it’s way through his chest. “–unless you feel like scraping pieces of your Alpha _off the street_  I suggest you–”

“ _Catch—me_.” Tony tried to shout, but it was hardly a whisper, yet Bucky’s blue eyes zeroed in on him.

“Alpha?” he said slowly and Tony made an attempt to lick at his lips, to clear his throat.

“ _Catch…me_.” he rasped again, and Stane tightened his arm around him warningly.

“–Stark–!”

Tony knew he couldn’t open his wings as a distraction, knew he couldn’t possibly get away from Stane enough for Bucky to get a shot in–

So he did the only reasonable thing he could, and threw his entire body weight backwards, sending he and Obadiah plummeting over the railing.

Bucky  _screamed_ as his Alpha disappeared over the edge.


	21. Chapter 21

Bucky’s scream ripped through the comms and both Clint and Steve flinched, covered their ears as if that would block it out.

“Cap, tell me you see them.” Clint’s voice was slow and calm, his hands steady as he notched an arrow in his bow. “Is our Alpha alright?”

“I see them.” Steve said grimly. “Bucky caught Tony, he’s holding onto the railing with one hand, and Tony with the other.”

“Stane?” Clint notched a second arrow, just as calmly as the first one, the only evidence to how badly he was panicking the slight tremor in his dark brown wings, the bitterness in his scent.

Steve wasn’t doing much better, every inch of his body thrumming with the need to  _do something_ , but Bucky had ordered that they stay back, so here they were.

“Steve!” Clint snapped. “ _Focus_! What about Stane?”

“Stanes got both hands around Tony’s leg and is holding on for dear life.” From their position on top of the office building only a few blocks from the tower, he could see the shapes hanging from the balcony clearly. “Bucky’s got ‘em though, you know damn well he’s not going to let go.”

“Well it’s about time you use that enhanced vision for something other than spying on Natasha changing.” Clint grunted, pulling a third arrow from his quiver. “So what are you gonna do?”

Steve hefted his shield, smiling a little at Clints dig about his vision. “I’m gonna take his goddamn arm off. This is the last time that fucker’s gonna touch our Alpha.”

“Not if I put an arrow or eight in him first.” Clint growled and lifted his bow to his shoulder. “Tasha, you in position?”

 _“I’m here_.” she said through their ear piece. “ _Ready and waiting for the splat. You boys alright?”_

“Yeah we’re alright.” Steve took a deep breath, bringing every bit of his rage and hurt and  _terror_ down into laser sharp focus. “Get ready to catch a body.”

************************

************************

“I’m not gonna let you go.” Bucky promised, his left hand curled around Tony’s forearm, holding almost too tight, the silver fingers locked into position so Tony wouldn’t slide from his grip. His right hand was holding onto the balcony railing, keeping himself for going over the edge, and he was going to hang here all night if that’s what it took to end this.

“Tony!” Obadiah called, sounding remarkably calm for someone who was hanging hundreds of feet in the air. “What are you gonna do now, Tony? You going to tell your Soldier to pull us up and take me to jail? We both know you aren’t going to let him kill me, you can’t have blood on your poor broken Soldiers hands!”

“Don’t listen to him.” Tony muttered, his voice still too soft as a result of the paralysis, his vocal cords not entirely online. “Bucky, you’re not broken. His blood isn’t on your hands. Nothing that happens after this will be your fault.”

“I wouldn’t care if his blood  _was_ on my hands.” Bucky kept his voice low, speaking only for Tony to hear. “Alpha, I’d rip his head off and feed it to the dogs and not lose one bit of sleep, but to do it I’d have to save him first, and I don’t know if I can do  _that_.”

Then he glanced up, tilted his head as something came over his comms, and the smile he sent over Tony’s shoulder and into Obadiah’s upturned face was nothing less than terrifying.

Neither Stane nor Tony had a chance to ask  _why_ Bucky had smiled or  _what_ he had heard, but there was the oddest whistling sound that grew rapidly closer–

–and Steve’s shield shattered both bones in Stane’s forearm as it made impact, deflecting only slightly from the hit and destroying the windows on the floor below.

Obadiah screamed in pain and  _shock_ and surprise, then screamed  _louder_ when he lost his grip on Tony’s leg and started falling. 

All the screaming stopped when an arrow buried itself in his forehead, then two more in his heart, and he was dead long before his body crumpled into the pavement below.

*******************

*******************

“My god, you guys are dramatic.” Sam came strolling through the glass doors several minutes later and found Bucky and Tony still on the balcony, Bucky holding the Alpha in his lap, black and silver wings wrapped around him, metal edges glinting in the low light, eyes still blazing as he tried to come down from the moment.

“Easy.” Sam murmured when the Omega shifted warily, knowing that it wasn’t  _him_ that Bucky was protecting Tony from, but understanding how badly Bucky needed to be holding the Alpha anyway.

So he kept his voice light and his words casual as he teased- “I mean, Cap showing off his throwing skills and Clint with  _three_ arrows? And Bucky, with a movie worthy grab for Tony’s hands.” he shook his head, and laughed it off, but held out his hand a little pleadingly and when Bucky parted his wings, Sam grabbed Tony, hauling him to his feet and holding him as tight as he could.

“I swear to God, Alpha, you tell me to leave you in something dangerous again–” his words cut off when his throat closed, and Sam put his face in Tony’s hair to hide his tears. “I  _swear_ –” he started again, and held Tony even closer, his shoulders dropping in relief when Tony’s arms wound around him as well.

“I’m alright.” Tony soothed him, and any other time Sam would have laughed about Tony being the one comforting him after everything the Alpha had just gone through, but just a few minutes ago he had thought he would lose their Alpha altogether and that was—

“I’m alright.” Tony said again when Sam’s grip became nearly painful. “Shhh, Sam. Honey. I’m  _alright_.”

“I know.” Sam nodded, but it was still another minute before he started to ease away, frowning when Tony stumbled a little.

“Paralysis.” Tony explained. “Temporary, it’s just taking awhile to wear off. Feels like I’m moving through mud.”

 _“Tony’s been **what**? Paralyzed_?” Natasha’s furious voice came over Sam’s ear piece. “ _Stop standing on the goddamn balcony and put him inside_!”

“I’m on it Nat.” Sam assured her, and Tony smiled a little when she kept cursing in Sam’s ear. “Come on, Alpha. Let’s get you inside.” Sam picked him right up, ignoring the Alpha’s muffled protest, and carried him back into the common area, followed closely by Bucky who kept one hand on Sam’s waist, and the other reaching out to touch over Tony’s feathers, needing to touch both of them to keep himself calm.

“Hey–” Sam put Tony down carefully, then turned and hooked an arm around Bucky neck, dragging him close and kissing him sweetly. “You did good, honey.  _So good_. Saved our Alpha. He’s fine, see? Sitting on the couch here at home just like he is supposed to be. He’s  _fine_.”

“Yeah.” Bucky forced out a deep sigh. “Yeah alright.”

“You did good.” Sam said again, kissing him longer until the tension melted from Bucky’s shoulders, his wings dropping. “Go sit with our Alpha, hm?”

“Tony!” Steve and Clint burst out of the elevator, Natasha on their heels. “Are you alright?” Steve reached Tony first, running careful hands over his limbs and wings, cupping his jaw and turning his head to see if there were any bruises. “What’s wrong? What happened? You were  _paralyzed_?”

“I’ll be fine.” Tony promised and patted the seat next to him. “Just a little weak right now. Come sit with me.”

“This was the worst plan you’ve ever had, telling us to leave, what the hell were you thinking?” Clint sat himself right on top of Tony’s lap, and Bucky and Steve filled in the sides, so much  _panic,anxious,worr_ y choking the air that Sam had to take a step back, clearing his throat.

As a Beta he was fairly immune to the pheromones that flowed between Alphas and Omegas, but at this level it was too much for even him, which meant it was probably completely overwhelming for the Alpha.

“Pull it back.” Tasha instructed brusquely, picking up on the tension in the air as well,  flicking her white wings out to force the Omegas to give Tony some space. “He’s been paralyzed  _apparently_ and dangled over the edge of the balcony for a while but you guys are gonna suffocate him with everything you’re putting out there so _pull it back_.”

“It’s fine.” Tony lifted his head to brush a kiss to her lips. “They’re fine, Tasha. They need to be with me, I need to be with them, it’s fine. You guys, don’t leave.”

“Sorry, Alpha.” Steve apologized. “We just need to be–“

“Don’t leave.” Tony said again, and he was smiling, but his voice wobbled a little. “ _Please_.”

“Anthony Edward Stark!” Pepper and Rhodey were next out of the elevator, and while Rhodey looked upset, he didn’t look or sound  _half_ as upset as Pepper did.

Peppers beautiful pink wings were raised aggressively and flared out in anger, and she stalked towards him on sky high heels, waving her hands irritably until the other Omegas scattered and she could bend to put her forehead directly on Tony’s.

“If you  _ever_ pull a stunt like that again.” She was practically snarling, her voice low and  _furious_. “Tony I swear— I  _swear_ I will—

“Shh.” Tony soothed her, smoothing his hands over her feathers, tempted to laugh out how ruffled they were, but knowing Pepper might  _really_ kill him then. “Pepper I’m fine. Nothing bad happened.”

“Only because this ridiculous family can’t follow orders at all!” She cried. “What if everyone had actually listened and you had been  _alone_ here with that maniac! I have survived all of your…your shenanigans, but Tony I wouldn’t have survived this one! You-are so-reckless-I-hate-it!!!” Each word was punctuated by a slap at his shoulder. “What the  _hell_ were you thinking?”

“I had a new protocol.” Tony murmured. “It would have been fine.”

“You don’t know that.” She said crossly, but leaned closer to push her nose into his neck, breathing in his scent to attempt to calm herself. “You don’t know that.” It was less hysterical this time, and Tony hid his smile in her hair. “I’m going to go grey because of you.” she complained. “Tony, I  _swear_ –”

“I know.” Tony rubbed over her back carefully, able to scent the  _panic_ and  _fear_ pouring off of her, even under her suppressants. “I’m sorry I worried everyone. But my Omegas were here to take care of me. It was fine.”

“Okay.” Pepper stayed in his arms for another minute before pulling away, straightening her clothes and dotting kisses on each of the other Omegas foreheads, murmuring her thanks before moving back to stand by Rhodes.

“Are you gonna yell at me too, Colonel?” Tony challenged, but there was no heat in his tone, and he sank a little deeper into the couch as the adrenaline started wearing off, his body still heavy from the effects of the paralysis.

“Why don’t you explain to me why there is a body on the street.” Rhodes said impatiently, folding his arms and twitching his wings. “And by  _body_ , I mean an absolute pile of shattered bones with several arrows sticking out from it. And oh, Ms. Romanov? Tossing a tarp over that mess and telling me not to look  _doesn’t count_ as cleaning it up, but we can argue about that later.”

Natasha sent him a steely glare. “Isn’t that why we have contacts in the military, Colonel Rhodes? So dainty civilian females like myself don’t have to do the dirty work? Maybe if  _you_ had done your job originally, Stane wouldn’t have made it into the States at all!”

“Excuse me?” Rhodes wings snapped open in anger, and Natasha raised hers just as high, lips curling into a snarl.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Sam stepped forward, bringing Natasha into his arms and hiding her behind his own red wings. “Colonel, emotions are a little raw right now, you need to  _not_ take it out on the family and  _you_ –” he nudged Natasha when she grumbled. “You know better than to aggravate him, so  _stop_.”

Silence.

Then Clint– “No ones going to comment on how Daddy Sam just shut down the two rambunctious kids?”

Rhodey  _growled_ , but Tony was laughing, trying to hide it behind his hands, so he took a deep breath and asked again, “Explain what happened, Tony. I’ll hear you out, and then I’m gonna kick your ass for worrying me like this.”  

“Would you believe Stane paralyzed me, and dragged me out to the balcony to rip the arc reactor out of me? Then once I knew Bucky was there, I threw myself off the building to catch Stane off guard and Bucky grabbed me at the last minute. I didn’t actually know about Steve and Clint until Steve broke Stanes arm with his shield and Clint put an arrow through his heart to make sure that fucker was dead when he landed.”

Rhodes didn’t even blink. “Yes. I believe all of that. The worst thing is, I don’t even think that’s the craziest story you’ve ever told me.”

“Well good.” Tony closed his eyes and Bucky planted a kiss on his cheek, checking his pulse in concern. “Maybe figure out something different to tell the press though, hm? Like a training exercise?”

“I’m not telling the press it was a training exercise. But are you ok, Tony?” The Colonel’s voice softened, his wings relaxing. “ _Honestly_.”

“I’m alright.” Tony still had his eyes closed. “Stane used a sonic taser on me, total paralysis only lasted almost fifteen minutes, and it’s just taking a while for my body to readjust.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Rhodey raised his eyebrows and Tony opened his eyes only long enough to nod firmly.

“I’m fine. It’s over, he’s gone, I’m home with my family and— wait, where’s Bruce?” He struggled to sit upright, patting at Clint’s hip so he would come back and sit on his lap. “Bruce needs to know—“

“I’m calling Dr Banner for you now, Sir.” JARVIS interrupted smoothly. “Just a moment.”

“How did Stane bypass JARVIS’ programming?” Steve asked, extending a wing enough to cover Tony’s shoulders, and the Alpha put his head back against the feathers gratefully, smiling when Clint put his nose into his neck, trilling softly, and Bucky pressed up against his other side to keep him warm when chills set in.

“Damn, all this adrenaline wearing off is a bitch.” Tony shook his head against the beginning of a headache. “Um, I wrote JARVIS a new protocol.” he explained. “Something like a sleep mode. I figured Stane had access codes or at least a bypass mechanism, so I let him think he had disabled Jarvis. If I had been in real danger, the Tower would have sealed itself off completely, a distress alarm would have been sent out to Rhodey and my suit would have blasted through the floor and torn Stane apart.”

“But you didn’t plan on the paralysis.” Natasha interjected. “Why didn’t JARVIS see you were helpless and initiate the protocol then?”

“I wasn’t helpless, apparently.” Tony shrugged and sent a fond look at Bucky. “I will admit I was starting to panic when JARVIS hadn’t locked anything down and activated my suit once Stane started dragging me to the balcony but that’s when I realized you all must have completely ignored my instructions and came back anyway.”

“That’s why you weren’t surprised to see me.” Bucky stated. “Your eyes didn’t widen or anything.”

“I didn’t know it was  _you_ , but I knew someone was there.” Tony leaned over and kissed Bucky gently. “My Soldier.”

Bucky hummed contentedly into the kiss, and Tony turned to kiss Steve as well, bumping their noses together. “I knew you had to be somewhere close. Once I saw Bucky, I knew you wouldn’t have let him come alone.”

“Wasn’t going to let him drag you down.” Steve murmured.

“My archer.” Tony turned to Clint next, rumbling softly when the Omega purred quietly. “I never should have even worried with my Omegas watching over me.”

“Dr Banner is online, Sir.” JARVIS interrupted and Tony reached for both Steve and Bucky, bringing them as close as he could before raising his voice to be heard.

“Brucie Bear?”

“ _Tony_.” Bruce sounded close to tears. “Thank god.”

“Come home, honey. Everything’s fine.”

*******************

*******************

“Tell me about the whole  _sun is going down_  thing.” Tony asked, cramming another bite of food into his mouth. “What was that about? I’ve never seen Bruce de-hulk so quickly.

“Oh.” Bucky smiled sheepishly, wiping his mouth before grabbing for a drink. “It’s not really a big deal.

“Tell us anyway.”

It felt  _surreal_ to be sitting all together in a little hole in the wall restaurant eating shawarma after such a long day, but once the paralysis had worn completely off, Tony had demanded food and Clint suggested the shawarma place he had seen while staking out the Tower, and here they all were— crammed around a table in a tiny shop eating the owners out of their inventory for the day.

“Tell him, Buck.” Steve encouraged, reaching for another wrap. “It’s a good story.”

“Back when Stevie was just a ninety pound punk—“ Bucky began and everyone laughed, even Rhodey, who had his arms around Pepper, feeding her bites of the vegetables off his plate.

“—he used to get in fights all the damn time and one time,  _one time_ , I stepped into fight with him. It was almost dinner time, and I told the kid, you know the suns going down, it’s gettin’ real late in the day for you to get your ass kicked. The kid was so weirded out by what I said, he juts up and left.”

Natasha snorted water through her nose and Clint pounded her back as she choked through it.

“So it became this whole thing.” Steve rolled his eyes. “All Bucky had to do was say ‘suns getting low’ or whatever, and everyone knew they were gonna get beat to hell, so they stopped messing with us.”

“And here I thought it was something poetic.” Bruce smiled. “So what made you think it would work on me?”  

“He was hoping your Hulk would recognize his bad-assery and back down!” Sam crowed and they all laughed again.

“It worked didn’t It?” Bucky defended. “You aren’t green anymore!”

Bruce put a friendly hand on his shoulder. “You’re right, it worked just fine. But what really helped was you telling me that you weren’t leaving our Alpha alone. The only reason I felt like I could leave the Tower was because Bucky said–” he stopped and Tony looked up in interest.

“What did Bucky tell you?”

“He told me–” Bruce sent a quick look at Bucky, who nodded for him to continue. “He told me that he had already crossed the desert to bring our Alpha home, and that he would do whatever it took to keep our Alpha safe. He told me that he would pull the metal from his feathers and use them as knives if he had to, that he would rip Stane apart with his hands if that’s what had to happen.”

“Bucky told me that this would end  _today_ , no matter what.” Bruce took a deep breath. “And I believed him.”

“So Steve and Clint–”

“Steve saw the murder glint in Bucky’s eye.” Clint grinned lazily, nudging at Steve’s foot with his own. “Grabbed him and asked him what he was planning, and it wasn’t like I was going to let them have  _all_ the fun.”

“Steve told me and Nat he needed us at the Tower waiting, just in case.” Sam said through a mouthful. “So we were.”

“He didn’t say  _what_ might happen.” Natasha added. “Only t we needed to be waiting just in case.”

“Yeah, well I told you all to stay away.” Tony sounded cross but his eyes were gentle as he looked around the table at his family. “But I’m glad you didn’t. I love you.”

Murmurs of—  _we love you Alpha, so much Alpha, wouldn’t ever leave you_ — filled the small restaurant, and behind the counter, the husband and wife owner shared a mystified look, wondering at the odd group of people in their store, sure they recognized the Alpha with the multi colored wings, but not sure where they had seen him before.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve such an amazing family, to deserve Omegas that would do all this to save me.” Tony murmured. “But I love you all so much.”

Then his entire posture changed, his voice dropping and wings lifting and he stood up from the table. “But I made a promise earlier, didn’t I? A promise to my Omegas that after all this was over, we could bond.”

Clint’s head jerked up, and Steve whined quietly, biting at his lip in anticipation. Bucky didn’t tear his eyes away from his Alphas, and a flush started climbing his cheeks when Tony’s whiskey colored eyes bled to deep red.

“My Omegas.” His smooth voice lowered even more, filling with enough  _Alpha_ that the Omegas were completely,  _willingly_ , helpless against it. “Time to keep my promise.”

“Home. My bed.  **Now**.” 


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final Chapter!  
> I hope everyone likes how it all ended up!  
> I love LOVE Tony with his family.  
> Thank you for coming along on this journey with me!

“ _My Omegas_.” Tony’s voice was a growl, the words undecipherable behind the rumble in his chest, but it didn’t matter– words weren’t needed when the Alpha’s eyes were shot to red, his wings arced high and presented out wide, the heavy scent of  _claim,mate,mine_  making the Omegas dizzy, weak kneed with  _want_.

“ _Alpha_.” Steve gasped, and the door knob to Tony’s rooms snapped in half between his fingers when Tony dragged him in for a heart stopping kiss, the barest pressure from a hand around Steve’s neck making the Omega whine and beg for  _more_.

“Alpha  _yes_ —” Clints words ended in a yelp when the Alpha snatched him back against his chest, grinding his heavy cock into Clint’s ass, running a hand up the Omega’s spine into his hair and tugging so Clint’s back arched, shoving his hips further into Tony, dark brown wings folding submissively behind him in favor of multi colored feathers surrounding him.

Bucky couldn’t believe how badly he  _needed_ , how badly he had to touch Tony. He hadn’t shared a post-Winter Soldier heat with the Alpha yet and wasn’t prepared for how fast his heart was beating, for how unbelievable restricting his clothes suddenly felt, for the  _slick_ that was pooling at a nearly embarrassing rate in his pants—

—But when Tony shoved his nose into Bucky’s neck and inhaled before dropping to his knees helplessly, it didn’t feel embarrassing or awkward or unnatural it was just… _right_.

“ _Mine_.” Tony shook his head to try and clear it, just a bare inch from fully feral. “My Omegas.  _Mine_. Let me see you. Get ready for me.”

Clothes started coming off as the Omegas backed towards the huge bed, stumbling over their feet, tossing shirts and pants onto the floor, and the Alpha waited with his fists clenched, watching as they pulled blankets and pillows off the bed to make a nest, taking deep breaths in of their combined scents, smiling as he watched his mates bump against each other, teasing kisses and lingering touches over beautifully muscled bodies and he didn’t realize he was growling again until Steve and Bucky stopped kissing, until Clint took his hands off of Steve’s hips and they went to their knees in front of him, first Clint, then Steve, then Bucky dropping their heads and baring their necks, three sets of wings spread out and pressed flat to the ground in instinctual submission.

“I love you.” Tony managed to bring himself under control long enough to talk, his eyes coloring back into the warm whiskey brown they loved so much. “All of you. My Omegas, my  _beautiful_ –” his voice roughened and he cleared his throat. “I promise I’ll be a good Alpha. The  _best_ Alpha. I promise to be deserving of your–of your love and your trust. I promise to love you forever, to always come home to you, and to give you everything,  _anything_ , you would ever need.”

“We just– we just need you, Alpha.”– From Bucky, who looked and sounded much more vulnerable than the others, the reality of an Alpha wanting to  _mate_ with him something he never thought he would have. “ _Only_ you, Alpha”– from Steve who was biting his lip and staring at Tony hungrily. “Hurry up and bite us.”– teasingly, but in a hoarse voice and with a hand held out pleadingly from Clint.

The Alpha’s wings opened further, brown so dark it was almost black, red so deep it was nearly crimson, a muted silver like gun metal, and a gleaming bronze, stretching until the very edge of his primaries were extended as far as they could be, showing off for his Omegas.

Then his eyes shaded again, a primal snarl breaking from his throat, and he moved towards his mates.

************************

************************

It was two days before Sam got the call that it was safe to come back home, and even then he gave it a few more hours before rounding up the family and heading back towards the tower.

“Jesus Christ.” He chuckled when he got off the elevator and saw the Omegas sprawled all over each other on the… _new_ …couch.

 _New_?

“What happened to the couch?” he asked and Natasha peered over his shoulder, frowning at the behemoth sectional that had replaced the comfortable brown leather sofa. “Where’s Tony?”

“Tony has been sleeping for-” Clint checked his phone without budging from his spot between Steve legs, his cheek resting on a flat stomach. “–seventeen hours.”

“ _Seventeen_ hours?” Natasha repeated and came around the couch to check on each of them, brushing their hair off foreheads and checking their temperature. “Did you guys  _kill_ him? What happened to the other couch?”

“You don’t want to know.” Steve had his eyes closed, wedged between Bucky’s thighs, the back of his head set against Bucky’s chest, letting the big Omega comb through his hair with metal fingers. “Trust me.”

Natasha made a face, and cupped Bucky’s jaw and turned his head to see the still reddened bite mark on his neck. “Pretty. Being mated suits you.”

“Thanks.” Bucky flushed a dull red and Natasha tried not to smile too broadly.

“Hey guys.” Bruce came in next, took one look at the new couch and started laughing, waving at all of them before he headed up to his room.

“Why is Bruce laughing?” Pietro wanted to know, zipping around the couch to stare down at them with concern in his eyes, and Steve smiled at how protective the boy was over them, even at his age and without having a secondary biology to cue him in to the needs of the Omegas. “So did you guys spend the last two days breaking in the new–” he blanched and tore his hand away from the couch with a horrified expression. “ _Gross_.”

“Don’t worry, kiddo.” Clint yawned and snuggled closer against Steve. “It was the  _other_ couch that had to be thrown away. This one was delivered this morning.”

Pietro still looked queasy, but he sat on the couch anyway, patting the cushion next to him when Wanda came in. “Don’t worry, sis. This is a new couch. No ah–  _activity_ happened here.”

“ _Oh_.” Wanda couldn’t help her initial reaction to pull away, and then schooled her features. “Pietro, honestly. Don’t be such a child. We should be congratulating Clint on his bonding.” She bent to do exactly that, crouching down until she was eye level to Clint, her fingers moving rapidly as she signed,  _Congratulations. We love you._

Clint smiled tiredly, and she kissed his cheek before smiling up at Steve and Bucky and moving towards the kitchen.

“I imagine you three are hungry.” she called over her shoulder. “I will make some lunch.”

“Thank you.” Steve answered and closed his eyes, relaxing between Clint and Bucky, rubbing over the mark on his neck, shivering when  _pleasure_ raced through him at the memory of the last few days.

“I’m thinking about it too.” Bucky muttered, his fingers tightening in Steve’s hair, and Clint murmured his agreement, scooting up Steve’s body until their lips could meet, and when they parted Steve turned his head to reach Bucky’s mouth as well. Mating with Tony had strengthened the bond between all three of them, and in between taking turns being knotted by their now-exhausted Alpha, the Omegas had showered together, touching and playing and bringing each other off with their mouths and fingers, needing the physical release to keep the worst of the mating heat rush at bay until Tony was ready again.

“Our poor tired Alpha.” Clint grinned. “What was he thinking going through a mating heat with three Omegas at the same time. He might  _never_ wake up.”

“Kay, I’m gonna see if Wanda needs help in the kitchen.” Pietro bolted at the mere  _mention_ of a mating heat, and they could hear Wanda scolding him for startling her as she cooked.

Bucky laughed then and Steve relaxed a little hearing it. He and Clint had been open to the idea of mating with Tony, and with sharing Tony with each other for years now, but it hadn’t even been an entire year yet that Bucky had been at the Tower, and to go from breaking his Soldier conditioning to sharing his Alpha mate with two other Omegas–

–well Steve had been  _worried_.

But Tony had been  _wonderful_ , and even though he had been rough with Clint, pushing the Omega for  _more_ and letting Clint bite and scratch as he wanted, and dominant with Steve, demanding submission and coaxing Steve to beg for him–he had been perfectly gentle with Bucky, even deep in the mating rut.

The Alpha had kept things slow, had made sure they had as much privacy as possible when they were knotted, his wings up and covering them from view. The first time Bucky had wanted to hide, the second time he had buried his face in Tony’s neck to muffle his cries, but the third time, Bucky had screamed out his pleasure, had begged and pleaded for  _more_ from his Alpha, had hooked his fingers in Steve’s hair and brought him close for longer and longer kisses, writhed beneath the steady touch of Clint’s hands up his thighs, over his chest.

After that, whether Tony was buried inside one of them or simply stroking over them with his fingers, worshiping their body with his lips– he had all three Omegas in the comfortable nest with him, and they shared their Alpha as best they could, until the mating heat broke forty hours after it had started.

Tony had collapsed dead asleep almost instantly,  _beyond_ exhausted after seeing to every single one one of his mates physical and emotional needs for almost two days with little to no sleep.

But Clint, Steve and Bucky were feeling energized and refreshed, nearly two solid days of being pampered and pleased by their Alpha leaving them happy and sated and warm, so they all snuggled together on the couch, talking quietly together, and to anyone who passed by.

“Are you alright?” Sam was back after a shower and gave each of the Omegas a quick once over, his red wings flicking open in concern as he checked the bite marks for any signs of infection, checked their foreheads for a fever, brushing his lips over Bucky’s and murmuring something soft to him.

“Our Alpha took care of us.” Bucky assured him and Sam kissed him again. “Wanda’s making lunch for us.” he added. “So we’re fine.”

“Good christ.” Sam shook his head in mock annoyance. “Eventually you guys have to start doing things by yourself again, alright? You can’t milk the ‘exhausted from marathon sex so take care of us’ thing for too much longer.”

“The hell we can’t.” Clint said smugly, and Sam winged a pillow at him.

**********************

**********************

Breakfast the next morning was a lazy affair, Tony wearing his favorite apron and making piles of french toast while singing along to whatever was on the radio, pausing to kiss everyone as they came through the door.

He lingered over kisses with his Omegas, even though they had all spent the night in his bed, the bond was still new, the need to touch each other stronger than it had ever been, and they purred into every kiss, tilting their neck so he could mouth over their bond marks.

Natasha and Pepper smiled over the display, sharing their french toast and sipping from the same cup of coffee, Pepper sat snugly on Natasha’s lap. The Beta female would never admit to being  _jealous_ of Pepper’s growing relationship with Rhodes, but she did miss having the pretty redhead all to herself.

Sam was waiting for Bucky, lacing their fingers together once the Omega broke away from Tony to sit next to him, bumping noses affectionately in between trading jabs at Pietro, challenging each other to races, arm wrestling competitions and flinging subtly worded insults about each other’s manliness until both of them were laughing too hard to even eat their food.

Wanda and Bruce were sitting with their heads bent over a new design for a new youth center and shelter Tony had already written the checks for. The twins had been working within Sokovia to rebuild what Hydra forces had destroyed, trying to find homes for children who had lost their families, and building orphanages and shelters for those with nowhere else to turn. Tony had been sponsoring their programs since day one, and this new youth center would be the biggest one yet, with an attached clinic so the community wouldn’t have to travel for healthcare.

Steve sat heavily in his chair, pulling Clint onto his lap and the Omegas let their feathers mingle as they pressed close to each other.

And Tony stood at the stove, watching his family as they sat in pairs, laughing and talking and knew that this–  _this_ was the happiest he had ever been in his life.

And when Rhodey walked through the door and sent him a speculative glance, Tony tilted his neck proudly to show the three overlapping bite marks on his neck, physical evidence of his Omega’s claim on him.

“Looks good on you.” Rhodey grunted, and gave him a hug, dark blue wings flicking out to touch Tony’s. “I can’t  _believe_ you survived the mating heat.”

“I can’t believe it either.” Tony grinned. “But look how happy they all are.”

“Well yeah, your  _Omegas_ are.” Rhodes pointed out. “But what are you going to do for the rest of them?”

“What do you mean?”

“The rest of your family.” The Colonel clarified. “Your Omegas will have a bold, beautiful, bite mark that will turn silver in time, showing the entire world that they have an Alpha. What about Sam? What does he have to show he’s with you? Or Nat? Pepper? Bruce? Even the twins–” Tony shot him a  _look_. “No– no, I know they’re your kids or whatever, so it’s not the same thing. But I mean… what about an altered birth certificate with a hyphenated Maximoff-Stark? Not an official one, unless they were up for it, but even a ceremonial one.”

“Hm.” Tony narrowed his eyes. “You’re right. I’ll think of something.”

“While you’re thinking of something–” Rhodey poured himself a cup of coffee. “Have you thought any more about what you and I talked about the other day?”

“About making you a suit?” Tony grinned and pulled the last stack of french toast of the griddle.

“Yep.”

“You want a suit, Rhodey?”

“I want a suit, Tones.”

“We’ll see. You got a name picked out? Suits gotta have a name. You can’t have Iron Man. That’s mine.”

“It’s not  _officially_ yours.” Rhodey countered. “Since as of right now, it’s still  _officially_ a rumour that your suit even exists.”

“Don’t worry.” Tony took a drink of his own coffee. “That’s going to change real quick.”

“Yeah?” Rhodes raised an eyebrow. “You thinking about going public?”

“I’m thinking about a lot of things.” Tony admitted. “I bought some land upstate a while ago and am about ready to move up there, thinking about shutting down some aspects of Stark Industries, thinking of making the team an  _official_ team, not just people who work with SHiELD–”

“How did you think about  _all of that_  while dealing with three mates?” Rhodey joked, but he looked serious. “This is a lot, Tony. What you are suggesting is serious business.”

“I’ve been thinking about most of it since I got home from Afghanistan.” Tony confessed. “Just haven’t said anything yet. But now that Stane–” he made a vague motion. “Maybe it’s time.”

They were silent for a while, watching the family.

“War Machine.” Rhodey finally said.

“That’s a stupid name.” Tony snorted but he grinned. “I already made a suit for you.”

**********************

**********************

“Damn you’re  _fast_.” Sam was out of breath, laughing as he skidded into a landing on the helipad on top of the tower. “How am I supposed to keep up with that!”

“Sorry.” Tony was laughing too, stepping out of his suit, watching Sam’s wings folded down. The new exoskeleton he had designed worked perfectly, a lighter armor over Sam’s own red feathers, a slimmer propulsion system— without looking too closely it looked as if Sam was flying by himself when he wore this armor, and that was impressive as hell.

“Why did you want to go flying?” Sam asked curiously. “I am always up for this sort of thing, but you’ve never asked, never wanted to take your suit out just for a leisure flight. What’s going on?”

“I can’t bite you like I can do the Omegas.” Tony said, and Sam raised his eyebrows but motioned for him to continue. “I wish I could, wish I could give you a mark so everyone would know that we are together, but since I can’t–”

The Alpha pulled a ring box from his pocket and opened it to show a silver and red band inside, one thick, another thinner one, and he held the thicker one out to Sam.

“I thought maybe, if you wanted to–”

Sam snatched the ring and jammed it on his finger, before wrapping his arms and rings around Tony and crushing their mouths together.

“Is that a yes?” Tony managed a laugh in between kisses and Sam just started tearing at his clothes in response.

*********************

*********************

“Nice ring.” Bruce said absentmindedly when Tony leaned over the desk to hand him another cup of green tea.

“Thanks.” Tony smiled, twisting the thin red band around his ring finger. “I’ve got one for you too.” He slid a small box over to rest next to the tea. “If you want.”

“What are you doing?” Bruce actually sounded a little upset, staring at the box as if it might bite him.

“I want everyone in my family to have physical proof of their bond with me.” Tony said quietly. “No matter  _how_ that bond presents, or to whatever extent we are together, or not together or– or anything like that. I can’t leave a permanent mark like I can with the Omegas, but I want to have something. Something to link  _us_.”

“But a ring—” Bruce shook his head. “What happens when I Hulk out and the ring breaks? Or worse– it doesn’t break and–”

Tony opened the box to show Bruce the silver ring with jade lines etched through it. “This is a specially formulated high temperature expansion alloy. When you Hulk out and your body temperature rises, the ring will expand with you.”

“How big?” Bruce asked, reaching out for the ring and then stopping just shy of it as if he was afraid to touch.

“In lab testing I got it big enough to fit around the shoulders of my suit. So I think sitting on your ring finger it should be just fine.” Tony smiled, but his eyes were anxious, and Bruce finally reached for the ring, sliding it onto his finger, eyes widening when the cool metal heated to match the temperature of his skin, shrinking down to be a perfect fit.

“Wow.”

“Will you wear it?” Tony asked hopefully, and Bruce nodded, leaning in to bump their foreheads together.

“Thank you, Alpha.”

“I love you, Brucie bear.” Tony slid the matching ring onto his own finger, the band sitting snugly above the one that matched Sam’s. “So much.”

******************

******************

“ _Focus_ , Tony!” Nat had to yell to be heard over the pounding music in the gym and Tony laughed up at her from his position on the mat. Every time he thought he had mastered another take down, Nat pulled another one out of her repertoire and put him flat on his back, or face down and wheezing, or flying through the air and bouncing off the ropes.

“Get up and try it again.”

“You come down here instead.” Tony reached up and yanked her down, smiling at how ridiculously graceful she was even when caught off guard, lowering herself to carefully straddle his waist.

“Alpha, we have to actually  _train_ today, we can’t just skip right to naked time.” she rolled her eyes. “So we should–”

She stopped talking when Tony pulled a ring box out, opening it to show her the delicate ring inside, three perfectly cut diamonds set flush against the band. “So they won’t catch on anything while you’re working.” Tony explained. “I wanted to get you one of those giant solitaire diamonds but I thought it would get in the way.”

“No one has  _ever_ bought me diamonds before.” Tasha managed, sounding suspiciously close to tears. “Much less diamonds that I can wear while I’m working. What’s this about, Tony?”

“This about me wanting you and everyone else to know without a doubt how much I love you.” Tony said seriously. “I can’t forge a physical bond with you like I can with my Omegas, even though it’s not for lack of trying–” Nat laughed and he touched her jaw gently. “–but I thought maybe diamonds–”

“Thank you.” Nat bent and sealed their lips together and Tony could taste her tears in the kiss. “Alpha,  _thank you_.”

“I know this doesn’t get me out of training but—”

“Just this once–” Natasha let Tony slide the ring onto her finger, blinking back more tears when he put another ring on his own finger, a single diamond in the middle of a band. “Just this  _once_ , you buying me diamonds will get you out of training.”

Tasha flared her pure white wings out and Tony’s eyes lit in interest.

“Just this once.” she repeated.

*********************

*********************

“Is this real?” Wanda stared down at the name change form in her hand, running her fingers over the line that said  _Wanda Maximoff-Barton-Stark._  “Is this  _real_?”

“Right now it’s more of a ceremonial thing.” Tony admitted, watching her closely for any sign of what she was feeling. “I didn’t want to assume–”

“Can it be real?” Pietro interrupted, and electric blue wings unfurled from his shoulders, lifting hopefully. “Can it– I love–” he cleared his throat and looked away, and Clint moved towards him, lifting his brown wings until they mingled with the bright blue comfortingly.

“Can it be  _real_.” Wanda pressed, and her power sparked from her fingers as her emotion ran wild. “Tony–Clint?”

“Sign right here at the bottom.” Tony said, and handed her a pen. “And it will be.”

Pietro snatched the pen as soon as Wanda finished signing.

*******************

*******************

Pepper was wearing her band with three pink diamonds when Rhodes came to pick her up for a date, and he grinned over at Tony approvingly.

The Alpha lay stretched out on the oversized sectional he had bought after he and the Omegas had bonded, with every member of his family- minus Yinsen who had stayed on to do work with the UN– seated around him, sprawled on the floor, all talking and passing around popcorn bowls as a movie played. Tony was switching between idly twisting the four bands on his ring finger, and rubbing his thumb over the two-week old bonding bites on his neck, a contented smile on his face.

“He’s happy, isn’t he?” Rhodes said, and Pepper stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.

“I think this is the happiest Tony has ever been. I know I’ve said that before, but—”  She shrugged. “Just look at him. There’s not another Alpha in the world as happy as he is.”

“Well now, I don’t know about  _that_.” Rhodes squeezed her waist, and Pepper giggled all the way out the door.

***************

***************

_“— Wall Street and the international markets are in an uproar this morning, after Tony Stark breaks his three month silence with a press conference only to announce that Stark Industries will no longer be making weapons–”_

_“– Stark Industries employees panicked after finding out their factories were being shut down, but CEO Tony Stark was quick to assure us that the thousands of workers will be reassigned within the company, and will not be missing any paychecks, even while the weapons factories are shut down. He went on to say that most of the factories will be repurposed into building protective gear for the military, and he expects to hire even more personnel to staff the factories–”_

_“–In a bold move, Tony Stark told reporters that he will be turning over most of his company to his long time assistant Virginia Pepper Potts so he can focus more on his family–”_

_“–Tony Stark, proudly showing off not one or two, but three different mating bites–”_

_“–Tony Stark, furious with a reporters insinuation that this Iron Man robot would attract negative attention and bring retaliation onto his family, opened his shirt to show the reporters the arc reactor in his chest–”_

_“– Tony Stark tells reporter, “I am Iron Man”–”_

_“–Tony Stark—”_

Tony smiled and turned off the news, settling back in the seat of his jet, ready to leave DC and get back home.

“You are  _popular_ this morning, aren’t you?” Coulson sat in the seat across from him and raised his eyebrows in question, motioning to the tv screen.

“Yeah well, it’s a slow news day.” Tony loosened his tie. “You said you had something interesting to tell me?

“You really are done with weapons.” Coulson pressed in that calm manner of his. “Going to join up with your team officially as Iron Man.”

“Yeah.” Tony nodded slowly. “Yeah, I talked it over with Steve since he’s Captain of the team, and then I talked it over with the rest of the family, because they have a right to protest their Alpha flying off into battle, you know? And the family is fine with it, excited for me to join them. I think I gave Pepper a heart attack, and Rhodes has some more grey hairs, but he will survive.”

“Congratulations, by the way.” Phil motioned to Tony’s neck. “To you and your Omegas.”

“Thank you.” Tony’s eyes softened. “We are very happy together.”

“And to everyone else.” another motion, this time to the rings on Tony’s finger. “You and your family are certainly unique. Not everyone could love as equally and as  _wholeheartedly_ as you all do.”

“Yeah.” Tony flushed with pride. “They are amazing.”

“Is there room in your tower for one or two more?” Phil asked, and opened the file on his lap. “I met  _someone_ …you might enjoy knowing. Especially if you are making your team an official autonomous unit.”

“Oh yeah?” Tony inclined his chin in interest. “Who’s that?”

“Tell me, Tony.” Phil handed him the folder. “How much do you know about Norse mythology?”

“What, like the god of thunder and Ragnarok and all that?”

Phil just smiled. “Keep reading.”

****************

**Epilogue**

****************

“What’s this place?” Clint asked as he hopped out of the Stark helicopter somewhere in upstate New York, followed closely by the other Omegas, the twins, Sam and Nat, Bruce and Yinsen, and finally Pepper. “You  _bought_ this thing?”

“I  _built_ this thing.” Tony corrected with a grin, walking up the steps to the front door of the huge compound. “I know it’s not a two story house with a white picket fence.” he said apologetically. “But I want a huge family, and this has lots of room for us to grow.”

“You  _have_ a huge family.” Natasha pointed out, but she was biting at her lip in excitement, staring over at the trails that wound out and into the woods behind the compound, at the attached building that looked big enough to hold a swimming pool, and the open training grounds she could see behind a shorter wall. “But Tony… this is a hell of a compound.  _Jesus_.”

“Well, I want a  _more_ than huge family.” Tony amended and sent a meaningful look at his Omegas, eyes flicking down when Bucky put a protective hand over his still perfectly flat midsection, wings fluttering open as he smiled in pride. “Why don’t you guys just go check it out, and tell me what you think, hm?”

Bruce found Tony an hour later, standing in the balcony that ran around the upper levels of a huge common area, staring down at the family as they compared what they had found in the compound, from the firing ranges to the amazing kitchen and the rooms that had obviously been designed with each of them in mind.

“What do you think?” Tony asked and Bruce out right grinned.

“Have you  _seen_ the lab?”

“I’ve seen the lab.” Tony chuckled. “Did you see the Hulk apartment as well?”

“I did, thank you.”

They were quiet for a minute, then Bruce reached to touch Tony’s feathers, running his fingers through the different colors, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“How do you feel when you are here, Tony? Here at the compound, watching the family?”  

“How do I feel?” Tony repeated. “I feel like… being  _here_ feels like…” he blew out a deep breath, looking into the common area as Bucky rubbed over his stomach with a gentle hand, as Clint and Steve kissed happily, Sam and Nat already arguing over who got to raid the armory first, the twins dragging Grandfather Yinsen over to the windows to point out everything they had seen, Pepper at the control panel as JARVIS’s calm voice talked her through several items.

Everyone was happy, everyone was smiling and for the first time in month Tony could smile without feeling like something awful was lurking around the corner.

“It feels like coming home.” Tony eventually said, and _peace,home,content_ settled around them in a warm cloak. “This feels like I’m finally  _home_.”

“Well then. Welcome home, Alpha.” 


End file.
